As promised, below is some analysis relating to the current negotiations with Iran. I have tried to provide some balance, with some criticism, and some praise. There are 4 articles in total. I hope that they put current events into some perspective. Enjoy!

America’s failure to understand totalitarian regimes could be fatal

Trump’s attempt at Iran deal a perfect example

BY:          Don Feder, The Washington Times (June 7, 2026).

President Trump called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “crazy” in a phone conversation last week about Israel’s strikes against Hezbollah, Iran’s terrorist proxy in Lebanon.

To get a deal with an enemy, he insulted a friend.

Try to imagine Mr. Trump’s response if the cartels were raining missiles and drones on us from Mexico every night. Hezbollah’s strikes have depopulated dozens of communities in northern Israel.

Our president is piqued by Israel’s defensive action, which he believes gets in the way of his pursuit of a paper peace with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Despite his reputation as a hard-headed businessman, Mr. Trump seems not to understand that the art of the deal does not work with communists and Islamists.

As we wait for an illusory peace with Iran — as well as the outcome of indicting Cuban leader Raul Castro and the next chapter of our relationship with Red China — we need to come to terms with this reality: You cannot do business with totalitarian thugs. Their mindsets are alien to the citizens of free societies.

British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s Munich mistake was a failure of imagination. He could not conceive of how someone who had witnessed the carnage of World War I could risk another global conflict for territorial gain. He did not understand the ruthless determination of Adolf Hitler.

For 47 years, Iran’s Islamist regime has shown itself impervious to reason and as much our enemy today as it was when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini came to power in 1979.

In the recent bombing campaign, which took out much of Iran’s leadership, the president believed that if he hit enough targets and offered sufficient inducements, the regime would come to its senses, surrender its fissionable material, open the Strait of Hormuz and unicorns would amble by.

If it came to a choice between sacrificing half the population or ending its nuclear program, Mr. Trump apparently believed, the regime would not hesitate in choosing the former.

Totalitarians have a different calculus than the rest of us. The trains that Hitler used to send Jews to death camps could have been used to transport troops and material, improving the prospects of a German victory in World War II. Yet killing Jews was a higher priority for the Nazis.

Cuba should be begging us for help and offering any reforms necessary to secure it. The people are starving, garbage is piling up in the streets, and hardly any fuel is left in the country.

Still, Havana does not care how much its people suffer. It will not accept any arrangement that imperils communist rule.

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini said, “Everything in the state, nothing outside the state, nothing against the state.” That encapsulates the totalitarian mindset.

For communists, the party is everything. At the Stalin purge trials, old Bolsheviks went to their deaths believing that if the party said they were guilty, then they must be guilty.

In Arabic, Islam means “submission” or “surrender.” Throughout the course of history, conversion to Islam was mainly by the sword.

When Mao Zedong came to power, his cadres did not ask the populace: “Hey, you want to be part of our people’s republic?” For totalitarians, it is always submit or die.

Negotiations with totalitarian regimes are a subterfuge. Iran and Cuba are playing for time. Both have histories of broken promises going back to their beginnings.

When he took power in 1959, Fidel Castro swore he was not a communist. After the Islamic Revolution, Khomeini said he looked forward to good relations with the United States. Both avowals were intended to avoid conflict while the regimes consolidated their power.

We fall for it every time.

It is Charlie Brown, Lucy and the football all over again. Despite fantasies of a deal, Iran will snatch away its fissionable material at the last minute, leaving poor Uncle Sam flat on his back.

In 1958, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover wrote a book about communism: “Masters of Deceit.” Islam has a principle called taqiyya, which allows lying to infidels to advance the faith.

Still, we go right on pretending that we can do business with ideological killers, whether it is Hamas, Hezbollah, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps or communist China. We think we can somehow change their essential nature.

Yet the only way to deal with our enemies today is the way the Allies dealt with the Axis powers in World War II: Accept nothing less than unconditional surrender.

____________________________________________________________________

Victor Davis Hanson dissects how critics completely misread the Iran deal

Historian details how crippling sanctions, severe infrastructure damage broke Tehran’s leverage

BY:          Madison Colombo, FOX News (June 21, 2026)

Historian Victor Davis Hanson called out critics of the newly signed U.S.-Iran preliminary agreement, arguing that they are misreading American leverage in negotiations.

Speaking on Jesse Watters Primetime, Hanson disputed what he described as misconceptions about the deal and said the military conflict dismantled Iran’s infrastructure, leaving Tehran with no cards to play.

“They’ve suffered probably a half a trillion dollars to their nuclear military industrial complex that took them 50 years to build,” Hanson said in response to what he called “unhinged” arguments that Iran is better off now than before the conflict.

The Trump administration’s memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Iran was released this week, laying out the terms of the deal reached by both parties for a 60-day ceasefire and a framework for negotiations.

The deal itself has drawn criticism from both sides of the political aisle, with critics arguing that it does not include aspects like an immediate dismantling of Iran’s nuclear infrastructure or the removal of enriched uranium stockpiles.

Hanson also pushed back against critics who have cited difficulties moving oil out of the region due to Iranian actions in the Strait of Hormuz.

“They keep saying, ‘Well, the strait was open before, and now it was closed, and now we had to negotiate to get it open.’ It was only open because they chose not to cause trouble,” he said.

“They chose to not cause trouble because the last seven presidents said, ‘We don’t dare touch you. We’re not [going to] interfere with your nuclear programs.'”

Hanson argued that sanctions on Iran and its oil distribution efforts have put pressure on the Middle Eastern nation and given the U.S. leverage.

“They think time is on Iran’s side. Time is not on Iran’s side,” Hanson said, referencing the burden imposed by sanctions.

He suggested that Tehran is concerned about America’s upcoming midterm elections and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Hanson argued that if the conflict goes past the midterms, Trump will be less constrained by electoral considerations.

“They are terrified that if he wins the midterms and the price of gas goes down, he’s got a free hand, and he already has a free hand now,” Hanson said.

“They are afraid that Donald Trump is [going to] drag it out because if he drags it out after the midterm, after the 250th anniversary, he’s [going to] have a lot more options than he does now when he’s worried about gas and the midterm. So the dynamic is all upside down. They are the ones that have the time clock.”

____________________________________________________________________

Trump achieved a historic victory in Iran. His deal risks squandering it.

His agreement is nothing like Obama’s, but it gives the regime an opening to recover.

BY:          Marc Thiessen, The Washington Post (June 19, 2026)

Former president Barack Obama has predicted that President Donald Trump’s deal with Iran would not be “significantly different or a significant improvement from the deal that we had in the first place.”

I can think of more than 13,000 differences: That’s the number of U.S. military strikes that Trump launched during Operations Epic Fury and Midnight Hammer. Unlike Obama, Trump buried Iran’s nuclear material so deep that, senior officials tell me, Iran has indicated the United States will have to dig it up because it can’t reach it to hand over. He also took out over 85 percent of Iran’s defense industrial base; sank its navy; grounded its air force; damaged its centrifuges; and decimated its ballistic missile capabilities, conventional military forces and infrastructure of repression. An Iranian journalist relayed to me that her mother was taken into a police station for questioning because of the journalist’s reporting on the war. Days later, she said, the station lay in rubble.

Before the war, Trump warned he would kill Ayatollah Ali Khamenei if he did not bend to U.S. demands. Trump delivered on that promise. The U.S.-Israeli combined force not only eliminated Iran’s supreme leader, it also took out dozens of other senior Iranian officials. That is in addition to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s terrorist mastermind, whom Trump killed in his first term. Today, thanks to Trump, Iran’s top leadership has been annihilated, the regime can no longer project power in the Middle East and it possesses only a “nuisance” capability, according to Adm. Brad Cooper, head of U.S. Central Command. No president in 47 years has done more damage to the Iranian regime than Trump has. He deserves enormous credit for this.

Because of these strikes, Trump’s memorandum of understanding with Iran — which sets in motion negotiations over how to fulfill Iran’s pledge to end its nuclear ambitions — is backed by the credible threat of U.S. military force. As Trump put it this week, “if [a final deal] doesn’t get done … we go back to bombing.” Obama, by contrast, failed to act after Syria repeatedly violated his red line against using chemical weapons on its people, responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by giving Ukraine blankets and meals ready to eat, and pioneered the concept of “leading from behind” during the U.S. war with Libya.

So, no, this is not the Obama nuclear deal redux. As former secretary of state Condoleeza Rice recently explained, “Iran is far weaker today than it was in February. No amount of Iranian propaganda can mask this reality.”

Here’s the problem: We need to keep Iran in that weakened state. The deal Trump signed this week does the opposite; it helps Iran get up off the mat. After weeks of bombing, Iran is debilitated, but it is not chastened. The regime is determined to rebuild what Trump destroyed. It knows that Trump is only president for another 2½ years, so it simply needs to survive long enough for Americans to elect another weak president like Obama or Joe Biden.

This MOU not only allows the regime to survive, it gives it the means to recover and rebuild — without having to do virtually anything in return.

In paragraph four, the U.S. agrees to “fully end the naval blockade within 30 days” while in paragraph 10 it agrees to “immediately … issue waivers for the export of Iranian crude oil, petroleum products and derivatives, and all associated services, including banking transactions, insurances, transportation.” In other words, the damage done by the blockade will be immediately erased, as the regime will gain access to tens of billions in oil revenue just for signing the MOU.

Moreover, in paragraph 11 the U.S. promises to immediately “make fully available for use the frozen or restricted funds and assets of the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the implementation of this MOU.” Full implementation isn’t defined, but count on the Iranians to interpret it to mean they’re entitled to immediate access to all frozen assets — a $24 billion windfall — and are justified in closing the Strait of Hormuz again if they don’t receive it.

Finally, paragraph five implicitly authorizes Iran to impose tolls on ships transiting the strait by obliging Tehran to allow toll-free passage “for 60 days only.”

None of the money that Iran will receive can ever be reclaimed. The damage will be permanent and irreparable. Moreover, by giving Iran this immediate cash infusion and relief from the U.S. sanctions that have been in place for decades, Trump virtually guarantees that he will be unable to win meaningful concessions in the follow-on negotiations. By giving away his economic leverage now, he will have nothing left to offer Iran as he negotiates the dismantling of its nuclear program.

The longer-term damage is even worse. The MOU pledges that, as part of a final agreement, “the United States of America undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive, mutually agreed plan with at least USD $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development of the Islamic Republic of Iran” and that the U.S. will facilitate the delivery of this reconstruction assistance by granting “all required licenses, waivers and permissions used for the relevant financial transactions.” This is like launching the Marshall Plan to rebuild Germany while the Nazis were still in power — except the Marshall Plan was worth only about $130 billion in today’s dollars.

Trump insists that, unlike with the Marshall Plan, the U.S. is not obligated to contribute a dime. It doesn’t matter. The money is part of an agreement signed by the president of the United States and possesses his imprimatur. Yes, Iran gets nothing if it does not reach a final deal with the U.S. But there is no concession Iran could make — even if it allowed the U.S. to come in and take all of its enriched uranium and centrifuges and fly them to Oak Ridge, Tennessee — that is worth giving $300 billion to the unrepentant Islamic terrorists who rule Iran. Moreover, Trump never delivered on his threats to destroy Iran’s energy and civilian infrastructure, focusing instead on military targets. So, what exactly does Iran need $300 billion to reconstruct?

Further, in paragraph seven, the U.S. agrees that as part of a final deal it will “terminate all types of sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran, including the United Nations Security Council resolutions, i.e., IAEA Board of Governors resolutions, and all unilateral U.S. sanctions, primary and secondary.” This includes sanctions related not just to Iran’s nuclear program but also its support for terror, ballistic missiles and human rights violations — none of which Iran will have agreed to give up. Trump will not be able to do most of this unilaterally. U.N. sanctions can only be lifted by action of the U.N. Security Council, and many U.S. sanctions — especially primary sanctions that limit trade with and investment in Iran by Americans — can be removed only by Congress.

The U.S. pledges in paragraph two to “refrain from interfering in [Iran’s] internal affairs,” which effectively gives Iran carte blanche to commit whatever heinous acts it wants against protesters. Trump promised the Iranian people that “help is on its way.” Instead, this deal puts a U.S. seal of approval on their continued repression.

Trump says if Iran does not agree to a final deal, he will bomb again. This threat is itself a violation of paragraph one, which obligates him “not to initiate any war or any military operation … and to refrain from the threat or use of force” against Iran.

That is the bad news. Here is the good news: I don’t believe that Trump will let Iran get away with stonewalling him in the final negotiations. Vice President JD Vance said in a recent interview that “if they don’t comply with the deal, the straits are still open, we’ve still done incredible damage to their nuclear program, and we can get on with our lives as a country.” High-level sources in the White House have assured me that this is not Trump’s position. His position is: They’ll comply or they will get blown up. Trump will insist that Iran either hand over or permit the supervised destruction of all its fissile materials — not just its highly enriched uranium — or he will resume military operations. Iran believes that the U.S. midterm elections give it leverage. But once the midterms are over, that leverage disappears. Trump will be free to resume military action.

I have been clear about my view from the start: Trump would be better off ending the war without a deal, with a final 10-to-14-day bombing campaign that completes the destruction of Iran’s military capabilities — and then declaring victory, ending combat operations and launching a covert effort to arm the Iranian people and help them overthrow the regime in time. Because so long as the regime remains in power, the incredible military gains he has made will be temporary and reversible.

Right now, the deal Trump signed not only allows the regime to survive, it helps Iran get back on its feet. He had a historic opportunity to reshape the Middle East for a generation. This deal risks squandering all the gains he made on the battlefield. It’s a mistake. But fortunately it’s not the end of the story.

____________________________________________________________________

Trump is showing the world, G7 leaders who’s the ‘boss’ and deserves respect for his deal-making

BY:          Miranda Devine, The New York Post (June 17, 2026)

“I’m the boss,” President Trump joked when he arrived a bit late to a meeting with G7 leaders in France Wednesday.

He is.

That’s what his detractors forget.

America is “the boss” again, the colossus.

Iran doesn’t bully us.

Israel doesn’t instruct us.

Europe can sneer at Donald Trump all it likes, but it’s a supplicant.

China respects us.

Canada bows.

Trump understands power, and it rests easy on his shoulders.

He joked about it at the G7 in his relaxed American fashion, and European leaders now get it.

They laughed along, but they understood.

By the time he had emerged from a glittering dinner at Versailles to fly home, he had signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Iran that has the great and the good worked up into a symphony of hysterical catastrophizing.

While they hyperventilate, Trump casually shrugs and says it’s just a framework for negotiations toward a deal, and if it doesn’t work, he’ll just bomb Iran.

“If I don’t like it, if they don’t behave, we’ll go right back to dropping bombs right smack in the middle of their head, OK?” he told the media on the sidelines of the G7.

What the naysayers don’t understand is that the 14-point memorandum Trump signed is not  a deal.

It’s a political document setting out terms agreed by both sides for negotiating a final deal that would result in Iran agreeing never to produce or procure nuclear weapons, with strict oversight.

In the meantime, the MOU gets the Strait of Hormuz open and gas prices down before the midterms, easing domestic political constraints on Trump.

The period of negotiation toward the hoped-for final deal is nominally 60 days, but senior administration officials agree it could take longer — in other words, until after the midterms.

GFK

“The reported MOU with Iran smacks of the kind of appeasement that we saw during the Obama years, the kind of appeasement that Joe Biden tried to accomplish and was ignored by the Iranians, and the kind of appeasement we categorically rejected during the first Trump administration.”

–former Vice-President Mike Pence.

The Observations has purposely avoided commenting on the “deal” with Iran. Largely because there is no “deal”. There is only a framework for negotiations to reach a deal.

That there is no deal has not stopped the President’s critics from condemning him. From former Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R. Ga.) to former Trump Administration official Miles Taylor to talk radio show hosts Erick Erickson and Mark Levin, to NIKKI!, there is a long line ready to throw the President and his Administration under the bus. Never mind that Mike Pence, NIKKI!, and Marjorie Taylor Greene between them do not possess the spine to have launched the military attacks on Iran. Yet they feel entitled to condemn the President–the only President who has acted to tame Iran–for a “deal” that does not exist.

And then of course, there are the Democrats. What a shocker that they are condemning the President. After all, it is another day that ends in “y”. Former President Barack Obama said that the President would never achieve a “deal” as good as the one he negotiated with Iran. Hmmm. Wanna bet?

Tomorrow, The Observations shall share a variety of views, from criticism to praise, that actually contain substance. Until then, I suggest that you, dear readers, tune out the noise, be patient, and let us see how this all shakes out. Maybe we will all be pleasantly surprised. Maybe not. But right now is not the time for a definitive judgment.

Senator Ruben Gallego (D. Az.) used campaign funds for personal expenses, such as trips to Miami, Chicago, Disneyland, and Disneyworld. He also used campaign funds to pay more than $18,000.00 in child care expenses. Hmmmm. All of that is illegal.

“I do believe that once we take power, there has to be accountability.  There needs to be accountability for Elon Musk.  You know, they’re celebrating that he created 4,400 millionaires, but they don’t talk about the 4.5 million children around the world who he possibly sentenced to death by dismantling USAID.  He needs to answer for that.  He needs to be subpoenaed.  He needs to face investigation.  He needs to answer for what he did with DOGE.  That it’s not just, let’s move on.”

–Representative Ro Khanna (D. Ca.).

The Democrats will not rest until they destroy everyone with whom they disagree.

Representative Elaine Luria (D. Va.) spent 4 years in Congress. This year she is running to regain her old job. Small wonder, as in her 4 years in Congress, Elaine Luria’s net worth increased 2000%. How is that possible on a member of Congress’s salary? It is not possible. Elaine Luria is a corrupt politician.

Democrat members of Congress have been receiving millions of dollars in campaign contributions from Chinese military companies. How is this not corrupt? It is. How is this not illegal? It is.

The Democrat Socialists of America are committed to scrapping the U.S. Senate, “abolishing the carceral forces of the capitalist state,” defunding the Department of War, amnesty for all immigrants, and “replac[ing] the President and Supreme Court with an executive and judiciary chosen by and subordinate to Congress.”  Huh.  Is this what Senator Bernie Sanders (I. Vt.), Comrade Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Puddin’head, and U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D. Me.) dream about at night?

The Obama Presidential Center opened in Chicago, Illinois. If there is an uglier building outside the old Soviet Union, I have not seen it. It is more Sci-Fi death star than presidential library.

The Obama Presidential Center went years past the expected construction completion date, and ran up millions of dollars in cost overruns. Typical Democrat incompetence. But the worst part is that the Obama Presidential Center has stiffed countless minority owned subcontractors out of millions of dollars. The Obama people made a big deal out of their outreach to minorities, giving them the opportunity to work on this massive project. But somehow, the Obama people are downplaying the fact that they have not paid these minority subcontractors. Again, typical Democrat incompetence.

At the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, a land acknowledgement was delivered, whereby the powers that be recognized that the Center was on “stolen land”, belonging to American Indians. There is a permanent display at the Center, discussing the theft of the land by the American government. Center CEO Valerie Jarrett and former President Obama both spoke of atrocities committed by settlers and the U.S. government against the Indians. Sigh. If that is really how you folks feel, why don’t you give the land back? Why not?

The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating Governor Gavin Newsom (D. Ca.) and his shrew wife. The investigation seems to be centering on Mrs. Newsom and her non-profit groups’ taxes and spending.

Of course, the Newsoms are accusing the Justice Department of targeting them because they are Mr. Trump’s political opponents. Poppycock! Even serial liar Senator Adam Schiff (D. Ca.) acknowledged that there might be something to the investigation. Not good news for Mr. and Mrs. Hair Gel.

California has never met a tax it did not seek to impose on its citizens. The State is poised to levy a new tax on those who procure a private health insurance plan through their employer. And the State is also going to levy a tax on “services” citizens receive when they purchase a digital product such as Turbotax, Microsoft Office, Quickbooks, and the like. This will be in addition to the sales tax already charged on those purchases.

A bill is moving rapidly through the California legislature that would permit children of any age to “divorce” their parents, for any or no reason. Parents would not be informed of the proceedings until well after the process was underway. THIS. IS. INSANITY!

Voters recalled Avenal, California’s mayor and city council, with 75% in support of the recall. Yet these politicians refuse to acknowledge the election’s results, and will not leave office. Is this a threat to “our democracy”?

Poetica Coffee, a coffee shop in New York City, does not serve “genocide enablers”. Stated differently, if you support Israel, or the Jewish people, you are not welcome to buy coffee there. Okay.

World Cup fans from abroad have fallen in love with ranch dressing. Go figure, but they absolutely cannot get enough ranch dressing. So Kraft has manufactured and released for sale Transportation Safety Authority compliant containers of ranch dressing. Now foreign tourists can take home as much ranch dressing as they wish, without running afoul of the TSA at the airports. WOW!

Can you believe that Hidden Valley did not think of TSA compliant ranch dressing containers first? Major fail!

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is stepping down. The man has made an absolute hash of his job, and now the Labour Party scrambles to pick up the pieces.

The Iranian national soccer team attempted to smuggle in Iranian Republic Guard officials, disguised as team staff, to Los Angeles for its 1st World Cup match. The Border Patrol alertly stopped the team, separated the IRGC officials, and sent them back to Mexico.

Music executive Clive Davis has died at age 94. R. I. P.

Economist and former Federal Reserve Bank Chairman Alan Greenspan has died at age 100. R. I. P.

GFK

“A golfer needs a loving wife to whom he can describe the day’s play through the long evening.”

–P.G. Wodehouse.

I am very fortunate to have English as a “loving wife”. Because she grew up around golf, occasionally plays golf, enjoys golf, and watched the U.S. Open with me over the last 4 days.

Congratulations to Sam Burns on finishing 2nd. Sadly, Wyndam Clark won by 1 stroke.

I do not endorse the rude fans who openly, and loudly, cheered against Wyndham Clark, no matter his sins. It is rude. You should do what I did; scream at your television against him. That is so much more polite.

Thank you to Tom Kim, Ken Mitchell, and Scottie Scheffler for making the tournament interesting. I wish you could have done better.

There have been more interesting U.S. Opens. Even the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach–which Eldrick Woods ran away with, winning by 15 strokes–was more interesting than this year’s tournament (maybe because I was actually at Pebble Beach with friends). But this one was enjoyable. I would not have missed watching it.

Holland fixed a lovely Fathers’ Day dinner. I requested tacos. Because she make her own tortillas. And her own guacamole. Served with homemade pinto beans. A very delicious meal. I feel very fortunate to be a father, and to have Holland as my daughter.

The President invoked the Defense Production Act to spur munitions manufacturing. Smart.

“For too long, NATO has been a paper tiger and a one-way street.  No more.  And that’s what the Hague Summit is all about.  That’s what defense spending commitments are all about.   Transforming NATO back into a real military alliance that’s focused on hard power and real deterrence.”

–United States Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

The failed drone and sniper attack planned for The White House? The ringleader was an illegal alien. The ringleader was a “Dreamer” that Obama’s lawless “Dreamer” program protected from deportation. Hmmmm.

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing the town of Evanston, Illinois over its plan to pay reparations to black residents. Evanston’s plan is racist and unconstitutional.

The U.S. Department of Labor is going to begin withholding unemployment insurance monies from States that refuse to crack down on unemployment insurance fraud. GOOD!

The United States Coast Guard confronted a boat off of Florida. When the boat refused to stop and permit boarding, the Coast Guard fired on the boat, disabling it. The boat was attempting to smuggle 25 nationals into the United States. All 25 were taken into custody, and will be repatriated back to China.

The United States Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the federal government could not deny marijuana users the right to keep and bear arms. FREEDOM!

Vandals have damaged the newly renovated Reflecting Pool, peeling the lining paint, and reintroducing algae to the pool. The vandals have been arrested, and include an American Olympian. Very sad. Who does stuff like this?

Are you successful? If so, the Democrats want to tax you out of existence.

Senator Adam Schiff (D. Ca.) actually called for the “confiscation” of Elon Musk’s wealth. He wants to “spread the wealth around”.

“If Elon Musk paid my ultra-millionaire tax, we could fully cover free community college in America.”

–Senator Elizabeth “Lieawatha” Warren (D. Ma.).

Senator Bernie Sanders (I. Vt.) wants to provide every American an annual payment of $1,000.00. The money would come from confiscating the equity of Artificial Intelligence companies. Socialism at its finest.

“You know how we can pay off all of this student loan debt? Tax Elon Musk! Tax the billionaires!”

–Representative Ro Khanna (D. Ca.).

As a result of the initial public offering of Space X stock, Elon Musk created 4,400 millionaires. All of them were Space X employees, from cafeteria workers to the executive suite. How many millionaires (other than their fellow politicians) have elected officials created? That would be zero (0).

Senator Chris Van Hollen (D. Md.) is considering running for President in 2028. Good luck with that, as your only accomplishment in office is having margaritas with an illegal alien in an El Salvadoran prison.

Failed presidential candidate Commiela called for Trump Administration officials should be held “accountable” by the next Democrat President, for pursuing prosecutions of Democrats. Huh. It is okay to pursue Republicans for pursuing prosecutions of Democrats, but it is not okay to pursue Democrats for pursuing prosecutions of Republicans. Rules for thee, but not for me.

In California, Alameda County Democrat voters replaced Representative Eric Swalwell (D. Ca.) with Aisha Wahab. She is the Puddin’head of Northern California. And she is an Islam! WOO HOO!

The Los Angeles, California City Council wants to permit illegal aliens to vote in local elections. Sigh. Why not just give them the keys to the city, and force all the citizens to leave?

The California State government has contracts set aside exclusively for LGBTQ++ contractors. That is a problem. But that is not all. In order to qualify for a set aside contract, the applicants must undergo an extensive process to prove that they are actually a homosexual or a “trans”. Sigh. I do not want to know.

 “There is nowhere that I feel greater honor, fraternity, and kindness.”

–Catholic Archbishop of Detroit Edward Weisenberger, praising the Imam Al-Hasanain Mosque.

Really?  Not even in your own Church?  Or in your relationship to Jesus Christ?  Or perhaps in a sanctuary whose sacred book doesn’t instruct the faithful to convert, enslave, or kill infidels (everyone else)?

In Chicago, Illinois, ICE agents were in pursuit of an illegal alien, who suddenly ran into a private gymnasium. When ICE agents attempted to follow him, they were blocked by gym personnel. The delay was enough to permit the illegal alien to escape through the rear exit. Meanwhile, someone is looking at jail. Care to guess who?

Spotsylvania County, Virginia Circuit Court judge William Glover refused to enjoin Virginia Democrats’ gun ban laws. Judge Glover acknowledged that the plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm if he did not rule in their favor, but . . . the Commonwealth was trying to keep Virginians “safe”, and that was more important. Sigh. Judge Glover is a nimrod.

Jose Hernandez–an illegal alien–was arrested in Prince William County, Virginia for sexual assault against a 5 year old. The magistrate judge set his bond at $5,000.00 secured. ICE pleaded with Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.) to intervene, and to honor an ICE detainer, which she refused to do. So now sexual predator, pedophile, and illegal alien, Jose Hernandez, is walking around free in Northern Virginia.

Make Abigail Go Away.

A Florida State appeals court has ruled that a State law prohibiting concealed carry of a firearm by citizens 18-20 years of age is unconstitutional. WINNING!

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D. Tx.) now claims to be a champion of the State’s oil and gas industry. Yet as a member of the Texas State legislature, he partnered with a Leftist organization to eliminate–eliminate!–the Texas oil and gas industry, calling the effort “the most important work” confronting Texas. Huh.

Mars is eliminating the use of artificial food dyes in M&Ms. The elimination may cause Mars to cease production of blue and brown colored M&Ms.

Taco Bell is introducing fajita chalupas. For a limited time only.

Buc-ee’s is soon to open its 1st store in North Carolina, located in Mebane, which is between Burlington and Hillsborough. It is close enough to Chatmoss that Jason can run down and pick up some Beaver Nuggets for Will, Robert, and me.

Did you know that more Europeans die from a lack of air conditioning during hot weather, than do Americans from “gun violence” the entire years?

Congratulations to Darrell Kraft on winning the Virginia State Golf Associations Senior Stroke Play Championship. That is quite an accomplishment, given the strong field.

The York Revolution minor league baseball team forfeited its game against the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, because its players refused to wear their special “Pride Night” jerseys. The players refused out of conscience, refusing to endorse the homosexual lifestyle. The team cancelled the game, but still held the scheduled “Pride Night” celebration at the ballpark. Because that was what management considered important; not baseball, but sodomy. Sigh.

“I think when you’re a player and you come into this environment, it’s your responsibility to know just how sensitive this city is in regards to that cultural freedom and religious freedom, and just the way that you live your life.  And I think they were in for a rude awakening with the response, and it wasn’t just from the gay community; it was from the Northern California community that supports the gay community.”

–San Francisco Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow, criticizing players for not properly honoring “Pride Night”.

Mike Krukow threw a fit over Giants players writing Bible verses on their hats on the occasion of “Pride Night”. Because sodomy is more important than baseball, or the players’ religious beliefs. The LGBTQ++ agenda is more important than anything!

“This is why we need Pride.  We need to lean in and we need to keep educating people, even here in San Francisco.  It was a rough night, but one that we need to learn from.”

–San Francisco, California Mayor Daniel Lurie (D.), criticizing Giants players who wrote Bible verses on their “Pride” hats.

Educate them on what exactly?  On why The Bible is “wrong”?  Or the safe way to engage in sodomy?  What?  What exactly are we discussing here?

It used to be the pushback from the LGBTQ++ folks was that what people did in the privacy of their bedrooms was nobody else’s business. GOODNESS, I long for those days, when it was supposedly confined to the privacy of bedrooms. But nowadays, it is in your face, all the time, demanding acceptance and tolerance. I SAY NO!

In Boston, Massachusetts, Scottish soccer fans attending the World Cup drank local bars out of beer; all except Bud Light, which the Scots will not drink. So regional distributors had to make emergency runs of beer to restock the bars, after which the celebration went on.

The Scots, like many foreign tourists attending the World Cup, have thoroughly enjoyed their time in America. They marvel at our geography, amenities, food, and the friendliness of the American people. And the Scots also like to sing, belting out largely American tunes, including the Star Spangled Banner. What a contrast to the street celebrations in New York City after the Knicks won the NBA championship.

Phil Mickleson is now claiming he resigned from his club, as opposed to being kicked out. Phil, some free legal advice; SHUT UP!

Television director James Burrows, who was behind the production of series such as Cheers and Friends, has died at age 85. R. I. P.

Gene Bess, the all-time winningest coach in college basketball, has died at age 91.

R. I. P.

GFK

“Here’s irony for you . . . The driver goes the shortest distance when you throw it.  The putter flies farthest, followed by the sand wedge.”

–Tommy Bolt, winner of the 1958 U.S. Open.

Eighteen (18) holes to go. After 3 rounds, Wyndham Clark still leads. I do not wish him to win. He behaved like an a$$ at last year’s Open at Oakmont, and I have not moved on.

Others are within striking range. Scottie Scheffler is 2nd. Sam Stevens surged, faded, and then just sat there. Theegala, Kim, and Schauffele are close. Rory McIlroy surged again, faded again, and is done. Stick a fork in him.

We shall see. When Sunday dawns, it will be Wyndham Clark’s tournament to lose. Let;s hope he does. And let’s hope also that no locker rooms must pay the price.

____________________________________________________________________

Having completed the Octave of the Sacred Heart, we now enter the longest season of the Christian calendar, the Sundays after Trinity, in which we shift our focus away from the events of Our Lord’s life to the dogmatic teaching of the Church.

But first, a word or two about the traditional numbering of Sundays after Trinity might be in order. In much of the Church, these Sundays are numbered after Pentecost. However, in the English tradition, well before the 16th century reformation, these Sundays were numbered after Trinity Sunday. While each Sunday celebrates Our Lord’s Resurrection, each Sunday also celebrates the creation of light (thus the beginning of creation). The Resurrection of Our Lord, and our new creation in Him are the work of the Holy Ghost as well. So each Sunday reinforces the work of the Holy and undivided Trinity in creation as well as our salvation.

Historically, the Proper Preface (said after the Sursum corda and before the Sanctus and Benedictus) on these Sundays was that of the Trinity, and in the Office, the canticle Quicunque vult (The Athanasian Creed) was read, again reinforcing the importance of the Blessed Trinity in the life of the Church. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer continued the traditional English practice whereas more recent liturgical alterations numbered Sundays after Pentecost, emphasizing the work of the Holy Ghost. While this is not wrong, it does seem to place an undue influence on the Spirit, and may explain some of the more egregious doctrinal innovations of the past fifty years or so.

The Epistle for today is from the first general epistle of S. Peter, marking a shift from those of S. John read over the past several weeks. Those who recite the office of Compline will find a familiar passage: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith. These verses found in the service of Compline remind us that when we sleep, we open ourselves up to the spiritual world unrestrained. When we slip into unconsciousness, we let go of control over our thoughts. 

S. John Climacus in his “Ladder of Divine Ascent” discusses the various reasons we sleep (natural state, too much food, prolonged fasting, demonic temptation), as well as the things that might happen to us in a state of sleep (dreaming, experiencing angelic visions or demonic phantasies). The best way in which to prepare oneself for a restful night is to fall into sleep with prayer and meditation.

Our adversary endeavors to derail any spiritual progress we make during the day through unfettered access to our imagination at night. However, through the discipline of prayer and the invocation of our guardian angel we can be confident that as we fall asleep, we will be protected spiritually. Notice that S. Peter advocates that we resist our adversary “firm in our faith.” That is, we cannot simply wish Satan away. Only as we grow in a life of disciplined virtue can we have victory over his advances.

The goal of this Trinity season is to grow not only in our knowledge of the faith but in the life of virtue. By informing the will and participating in the grace of the sacraments, we will become more earnest and vigilant as we progress towards our true end, eternally transfixed upon the Beatific Vision and participating in the life of the Divine Nature.

___________________________________________________________________

Today is Fathers’ Day, and I hope that all fathers are properly feted and appreciated.  Fathers are important, and unfortunately, our society increasingly  dismisses their importance, as the traditional family model of a father and a mother is judged to be not sufficiently “inclusive”.  What poppycock! 

Whether a daughter or a son, a father has much to impart to a child’s upbringing.  I know that in my own case, I am inspired and guided by my own Father’s example.  Though he left this Earth 17 years ago, there is not a day I do not think of him, wondering how he might address the issues I face.

Not all children have the luxury of having a father in their lives, or that the man in their lives is a good father.  But it is my hope that the day comes soon when our society returns to the basics, the belief and understanding that all children are best prepared for life by living in a loving home with their father and mother.  Children—all children—deserve no less.

GFK

“I’ve never had a coach in my life. When I find one who can beat me, then I’ll listen.”

–Lee Trevino, winner of the 1968 and 1971 U.S. Opens.

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a founding member of the United States Golf Association (1 of 5). It is the very first incorporated golf club in American, and has hosted 6 U.S. Opens, and was the 1st club to permit black and American Indians to play its course. It also permitted women members from its first day in existence 1891.

Wyndam Clark still leads after 36 holes. Which is good for the men’s locker room. Still, there is a crowd chasing him, including Tom Kim, Xander Schaufele, and Matthew Fitzpartick. Scottie Scheffler and Colin Morikawa are lurking. Rory McIlory surged, faded, surged again, and then faded again. There is a lot of golf yet to be played.

TOMORROW IS THE SUMMER SOLSTICE, THE LONGEST DAY OF THE YEAR.  IT IS THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER, A MAGICAL TIME WHERE ANYONE AND EVERYONE CAN BE A CHILD AGAIN.  SO GO.  LEAVE WORK EARLY.  DRINK A LIMEADE.  BUY A SOFTSERVE ICE CREAM CONE.  SLICE INTO A COLD WATERMELON.  LIE IN A HAMMOCK AND READ A TRASHY NOVEL.  JUST FOR TODAY, REMEMBER WHAT IS LIKE NOT TO HAVE A CARE IN THE WORLD.

The Observations today is foregoing the news in favor of reprinting one of our favorite columns from the late columnist, author and editorial page editor of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Paul Greenberg.  Mr. Greenberg is most famous for giving then Governor Bill Clinton the moniker, “Slick Willie”.  His column below contains wonderful advice on how to beat the summer heat.  Enjoy.

”It’s definitely that time of the year again. The summer heat is starting to cover the country like a horse blanket. It’s time to update my annual list of heat-beaters. Feel free to clip and save, mix and match, and add your own:

1. Delete all unwanted emails without opening them. Especially if they’re from types who are always a little hot under the collar anyway. If you must open any, under no circumstances reply. Soon you’ll be on their heated level.

2. Forget talk radio and 24/7 television news. Tune out National Progressive Radio and switch to the classical station. Vivaldi is a comfort, Dvorak about as stirring as you need, Beethoven’s symphonies much too bombastic, and Mozart’s perfect — as always. Like looking up at the clear night sky somewhere out in the country and listening to the music of the spheres. Or get out Miles Davis and John Coltrane’s ‘Kind of Blue’.  (I hereby nominate Miles Davis — along with Gershwin, of course — as the greatest American composer of the 20th century.)

3. Recall the lightest, most elegant, interesting dessert you ever had. Mine is zabaglione over half a perfect peach. Italians know what they’re doing in matters of style in the summer. Or any season for that matter.

4. To borrow a line from the late great Robert Benchley, get out of those sweaty clothes and into a dry martini.

5. Think on the pure, crystalline beauty of the Pythagorean Theorem.

6. Don’t try to figure out the infield fly rule one more time; just settle back and watch a game. Linger over the replays in slow motion.

7. Avoid watching sit-coms, playing rock ‘n’ roll, listening to TV shout shows, worrying about the future or regretting the past. ‘Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.’ –Satchel Paige. (Epictetus the Stoic might have said something like that, but not half so well.)

8. Decorate with green, leafy things, but not kudzu. Turn your back on it for a minute and it’ll cover your house.

9. Take siestas; arrange to live in the early morning and after twilight.

10. Don’t hurry back, or anywhere. ‘Nothing can be more useful to a man than a determination not to be hurried.’ –Henry David Thoreau. He may have been a Massachusetts man, but he had to be a Southerner at heart.

11. Park in the shade.

12. Key lime pie.

13. Wear a hat. With a broad brim.

14. Give the kids a nap. Take one yourself. Or watch an old Mister Rogers show with a small child; it’ll soothe both of you.

15. Sit on the front porch. In a swing. Under a fan. Especially if it’s glassed-in, air-conditioned, in the shade, and surrounded by cool greenery inside and out. If you must go out in the noonday sun — like mad dogs and Englishmen — stick a handkerchief in the back of your collar. Adopt seersucker as protective coloration. Breathe deeply.

16. Read last January’s weather reports, with special attention to blizzards and ice storms. Contemplate Iceland and wonder if Eyjafjallajokull will erupt again. But under no circumstances attempt to pronounce it. Too much effort is involved.

17. Take a thimble-sized cup of hot soup before supper to whet the appetite.

18. Switch from big band to chamber music, red to white wine, gin to tonic, cornbread to beaten biscuits, humor to wit. Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and erase from your mind all thoughts of Anthony Weiner and John Edwards, AIG and Goldman Sachs, Eric Holder and Chris Matthews, Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck … and any sure-fire, guaranteed ways to beat the stock market or roulette table. (Or do I repeat myself?) If such thoughts pop up anyway, lie down and apply a cool cloth to the forehead till they pass.

19. Go fishing. Early in the day. Without fancy lures, rod ‘n’ reel, and other impedimenta. Pack a picnic breakfast, choose an unfrequented spot off the beaten path, lie down, breathe deep, close your eyes and clear the mind.  (‘Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after.’ –Thoreau again.)

20. Have a tall cold one. With a hot dog. At a minor league ballpark.  Luxuriate in the nostalgia. See what baseball used to be like and still is out in the minors. Don’t get involved in who’s winning or losing. Just root for the team in the field. And never, never refer to it as the Defense. That’s heavy, sweaty, bruising football talk.

21. Think tomatoes, the real kind. Homegrown. Ripe, sliced thin, maybe on toast. With just a hint of a smidgen of a drop of olive oil.

22. Wear white linen and play Great Gatsby to beat the band. Hide your ties till winter.

23. If you get the urge to exercise, lie down at once. If you absolutely must, swim. In cool water. Never run, seldom walk, stroll if you must. Remember Paige’s Law No. 2: ‘Step lightly; do not jar the inner harmonies.’

24. See the movie version of ‘Dr. Zhivago’. Stay to see snowy scenes twice.

25. Sweet tea. If you must attend a political rally, make it one sponsored by the (Iced) Tea Party.

26. Contemplate the coming of the next ice age.

27. Read up on the culture of the Eskimo.

28. Plan an expedition to the South Pole. Read a biography of Shackleton.

29. Stock up on watercress and cucumbers.

30. Carry a bandanna. Maybe two. Mop your brow even when it doesn’t need mopping.

31. Walk on the shady side of the street. Whoever designed those treeless parking lots around shopping malls should have to park in one. Every day. In August. Let the punishment fit the crime.

32. Sigh now and then over the follies of men. Do not judge lest you get all worked up. (Isn’t that in Scripture somewhere?)

33. Read ‘Gorky Park’ or some other detective story set in a cold climate. Check out Howard Hawks’ arctic and antic sci-fi classic, ‘The Thing From Another World’. The scary scenes are particularly funny.

34. Send the kids to visit the grandparents.

35. Grandparents: Send ’em back after 24 hours, then take a week off by yourselves. You deserve it. You’ve already raised your kids. Alaska would be nice this time of year.

36. Think what Stockholm must be like. Also Spitsbergen.

37. Go for a walk at dawn, preferably without having to get up at an early hour.

38. Peaches. Served with a little vanilla ice cream.

39. Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.

40. Don’t fret. Why worry about things till you have to? You may never have to.

41. Cold salads.

42. Wonder about the Laplanders.

43. Go ahead, try the waterslide.

44. Think on not having to put up the Christmas decorations, cook the turkey, or build a roaring fire.

45. Smile in the sure knowledge that the damper on your fireplace is closed.

46. Inspect the refrigerator. At length.

47. Consult the atlas for the location of Novaya Zemlya and the Bering Strait. Read about penguin population patterns. Study up on the Aurora Borealis.

48. Re-read Jack London’s ‘To Build a Fire’.

49. Be nice.

50. Take the columnists with an extra grain of salt.”

GFK

“Don’t play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty.”

–Harry Vardon, 6 time British Open champion, and winner of the 1900 U.S. Open championship.

The first day of the U.S. Open was an overcast, windy affair, with cool temperatures. There was a 2 hour delay due to heavy fog. Though the USGA set up the course as easy as possible, the scores were high. Because Shinnecock Hills is a very difficult golf course.

Wyndam Clark, Dustin Johnson, and others top the field. An amateur led the field at 1 point, and 2 are within striking distance. There is a lot of golf to be played.

Today is Juneteenth, a made up federal holiday about nothing. It was a racial sop by the Democrats to black folks, to make them think that Democrats actually care about them. They do not.

On June 19, 1865, Union troops entered the city of Galveston, Texas, assembled all the black slaves, and read to them The Emancipation Proclamation, which was written in 1862, and effective on January 1, 1863. So more than 2 years later, the commanding U.S. officer informed the enslaved people in Galveston that they were free. AND THEN, he instructed them to return to their masters, and remain until further instructions. In other words, you people are free, but . . . you are not. Sigh.

Senator John Cornyn (R. Tx.) was a big supporter of establishing Juneteenth as a federal holiday. So my apologies to Senator Cornyn. Previously I suggested that he had accomplished nothing in his long tenure in government. I was wrong.

Personally, I dislike Juneteenth. It is bad history. It is a racial, performative event, injecting politics where it does not belong. But the worst is that the banks, post offices, and courts are closed, making it impossible to conduct business. AND, The Wall Street Journal does not publish. I find that irritating. But The Observations does publish! Take that Dow Jones & Company!

“What do you like doing best in the world, Pooh?”

“Well,” said Pooh, “what I like best-” and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called. And then he thought that being with Christopher Robin was a very good thing to do, and having Piglet near was a very friendly thing to have; and so, when he had thought it all out, he said, “What I like best in the whole world is Me and Piglet going to see You, and You saying ‘What about a little something?’ and Me saying, ‘Well, I shouldn’t mind a little something, should you, Piglet,’ and it being a hummy sort of day outside, and birds singing.”

“I like that too,” said Christopher Robin, “but what I like doing best is Nothing.”

“How do you do Nothing?” asked Pooh, after he had wondered for a long time. “Well, it’s when people call out at you just as you’re going off to do it, What are you going to do Christopher Robin, and you say, Oh, nothing, and you go and do it.” “Oh, I see,” said Pooh. “This is a nothing sort of thing that we’re doing right now.” “Oh, I see,” said Pooh again. “It means just going along, listening to all the things you can’t hear and not bothering.” “Oh!” said Pooh.”

“Then, suddenly again, Christopher Robin, who was still looking at the world, with his chin in his hand, called out “Pooh!” “Yes?” said Pooh. “When I’m–when–Pooh!” “Yes, Christopher Robin?” “I’m not going to do Nothing any more.” “Never again?” “Well, not so much. They don’t let you.” Pooh waited for him to go on, but he was silent again. “Yes, Christopher Robin?” said Pooh helpfully. “Pooh, when I’m–you know–when I’m not doing Nothing, will you come up here sometimes?” “Just me?” “Yes, Pooh.” “Will you be here too?” “Yes Pooh, I will be really. I promise I will be Pooh.” “That’s good,” said Pooh. “Pooh, promise you won’t forget about me, ever. Not even when I’m a hundred.” Pooh thought for a little. “How old shall I be then?” “Ninety-nine.” Pooh nodded. “I promise,” he said. Still with his eyes on the world Christopher Robin put out a hand and felt Pooh’s paw. “Pooh,” said Christopher Robin earnestly, “if I–if I’m not quite–” he stopped and tried again– “Pooh, whatever happens, you will understand, won’t you?” “Understand what?” “Oh, nothing.” He laughed and jumped to his feet. “Come on!” “Where?” said Pooh. “Anywhere.” said Christopher Robin.

So, they went off together. But wherever they go, and whatever happens to them on the way, in that enchanted place on the top of the Forest, a little boy and his Bear will always be playing.”

–A.A. Milne, The House At Pooh Corner

Summer is nigh! Get an early start. Do nothing today. And enjoy yourself.

GFK

“But in the end, it’s still a game of golf, and if at the end of the day you can’t shake hands with your opponents and still be friends, then you’ve missed the point.”

–-the late Payne Stewart, winner of the 1991 and 1999 U.S. Opens.

The U.S. Open begins today at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club on Long Island, New York. The best golfers in the world are gathered to compete for our country’s national championship. Television coverage begins at 6:30 a.m. on USA Network, and will switch to NBC at 5:00 p.m.

Rufe has been sitting in front of his television since yesterday, waiting for today’s golf coverage to begin. I doubt he will miss anything.

President Trump has long wanted to construct a Garden of American Heroes near the Washington Mall. It would have life sized statues of great Americans from all walks of life, accomplishments, and fields. But now a coalition of Leftist groups are suing the President to stop him from moving forward, because . . . Orange Man Bad. Of course!

The Federal Bureau of Investigation thwarted a planned drone and sniper attack on the UFC event held at The White House. Five (5) people were arrested, with more arrests expected. These dumba$$e$ thought that they could overthrow the federal government!

Hillary Clinton criticized China Joe’s decision to run for reelection, blaming him for Mr. Trump’s election. Why is failed 2 time presidential loser Hillary Clinton still talking? SHUT UP!

Deranged Trump hater George Conway, who begged President Trump for a job during his first administration, is now running for Congress as a Democrat from New York, promising to put Mr. Trump in jail. Wow. That is really powerful stuff. Elect me to Congress and I will put the President in jail?

The truth is, George Conway is a moron. He practiced law in Washington, D.C. for years, without distinction. The man has never accomplished anything, nor has he ever uttered an original thought. He is like so many who hang out in the nation’s capital; he is a leech. A barnacle on a ship’s hull contributes more than do those like George Conway.

Democrats are fond of claiming that the “rich” don’t pay their “fair share” of taxes. In a recent tax year, Elon Musk paid $11 billion in taxes. It seems to me that that is more than a “fair share”.

Daniel Grand is an Orthodox Jew living in University Heights, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. He hosted prayer groups at his home; that is, until a neighbor complained. The local government told him that he could not host prayer groups without a permit. So Mr. Grand applied for a permit, only to learn that the requirements were onerous, and would turn his home into a house of worship, and under that scenario, he would not be allowed to live in his home. So he withdrew his permit application, and sued University Heights for religious discrimination.

And it most certainly is religious discrimination. Mr. Grand could have held a party at his home without a permit, hosted neighborhood grilling in is backyard, sat shiva in the event of a family member’s death, or even held–God forbid–a yard sale. But University Heights forbids him from hosting fellow Jews for a private prayer service. That is wrong. It is un-American. And it is unconstitutional. Shame on University Heights, and the complaining neighbor, for their bigotry.

“This type of enforcement is not welcome in Baltimore.  The presence of ICE has not made our city any safer, and in fact has led to greater fear and anxiety, especially for our immigrant neighbors.”

–Baltimore, Maryland Mayor Brandon Scott, reacting angrily to the arrest of an illegal alien who fled from ICE, and sought “sanctuary” in a public school.

One would think that Mayor Scott would welcome ICE’s arrest of a criminal illegal alien.  Are there not enough criminals in Baltimore already?

Colorado denied attorneys access to its electronic filing system unless the attorney pledged not to cooperate with ICE. The blowback from attorneys over this coercive stunt caused Colorado to back down.

Virginia Democrats have agreed on a plan to sell recreational marijuana at retail. The marijuana tax will initially be 6%, and eventually rise to 8%. Sigh.

The Observations opposes legalization of marijuana in any form. But that ship has sailed. What offends us most about this plan is that Virginia taxes cigars at 20%. Degenerates, hippies, and hipster doofuses can indulge in a harmful product with an 8% tax, but a refined consumer must pay 20% to indulge in a certifiable pleasure, with no mood or mind altering effects. This is just plain unjust.

There are other problems with the Democrats’ marijuana plan. Retail licenses will be awarded with racial preferences and quotas. Because . . . why?

Governor Abigail Spanberger (D. Va.) wishes all a happy “Pride Month”, and reassures us all that she will push for a Virginia Constitution amendment to enshrine a perverted redefinition of “marriage”. Why don’t I feel happy?

Make Abigail Go Away.

One of the Southern Poverty Law Center’s directors, Heidi Beirich, has been named in a superseding criminal indictment, alleging that she funneled around $1.2 million to a white supremacist. But wait! It gets better. It seems that the corpulent Miss Beirich was the lover of that white supremacist, with whom she shared a joint banking account. Oh, my!

The Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Utah opposes the construction of an ICE detention facility in that State. Fine. ICE should build a fence around a bunch of acreage, and just allow the detainees to be exposes to the elements–snow, rain, heat, wind. Agents can throw uncooked vegetables over the fence and let the illegal aliens scramble for their food. Sheesh.

What the Episcopal Bishop is really saying is that she is for open borders, and defying the laws of the land. And you know what? That is contrary to Scripture. Surprise!

The American Customer Satisfaction Index crowned a new fast food champion, Jersey Mike’s. The long reigning champion, Chick-Fil-A fell to #2. The Observations demands a recount.

On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina has closed all of its company owned restaurants. You are going to have to go elsewhere for your faux Mexican food.

YUM Brands is selling the Pizza Hut restaurant chain. Hmmmm.

McDonald’s is bringing back its fried apple pie in celebration of America’s 250th birthday. Hardee’s is introducing a Star Spangled biscuit with red and blue sprinkles, Burger King is introducing a Firecracker cookie pie, and Sonic is introducing a red, white, and blue slushie drink. My stomach hurts just writing this piece.

Southern Living magazine has judged Daisy Sour Cream to be the best commercially available sour cream. I was always a Breakstone Sour Cream guy, until my Mother switched to Daisy.

Social media rots your brain. It is a insidious and largely useless source of . . . something, I do not know. But adults can do what adults wish to do. Children, on the other hand, should not be exposed to social media, and it is up to their parents to police this behavior. Unless, of course, you are governed by Leftists, as is the case in Great Britain. There, Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced that the government would strictly enforce a ban on children under 16 accessing social media. You know, Facebook, Instagram, Reddit, etc. BUT oddly enough, the Labour government is not enforcing the ban on Left wing social media sites such as Blue Sky. Hmmm.

“I first thought of, like, who are the artists John F. Kennedy brought to the White House.  It was like W.H. Auden, Robert Frost, Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein.  And now we have got cage fighting.  Don’t anybody say America’s in cultural decline.”

–the oat milk latte sipping, faux “conservative” pundit David Brooks, complaining to MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart on PBS, about the President’s hosting of the UFC cage match at The White House.

I am no fan of UFC. That being written, if I had to choose between a cage match and listening to Robert Frost reciting one of his boring poems, or Jerome Robbins tap dancing in The East Room, bring on the UFC!

“This is degrading the White House, degrading the people’s house. And it’s just unconscionable that this has happened.”

–the flamboyant Jonathan Capehart, responding huffily to David Brooks.

Mr. Capehart was partial to events held in the China Joe White House, such as when the cast of Ru Paul’s drag show gave a press briefing, or when topless “trans” folks wandered all over the South Lawn at an LGBTQ++ event.

Congratulations to the Carolina Hurricanes on winning the Stanley Cup. Who’d think that a team from North Carolina would beat a team from Nevada for an ice hockey championship?

Robert was at all of the games, cheering on the Hurricanes. Well, Robert was at some of the games, played in Raleigh.

The Big 12 athletic conference is suing Texas Tech, seeking to sanction it for allowing quarterback Brendan Sorsby to play this upcoming season. Brendan Sorsby was found to have bet on football games involving his former teams, Indiana University, and the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Brendan Sorsby previously got a Texas State court judge to enjoin the NCAA from ruling him ineligible to play, due to his conduct.

Sigh. I used to love college sports, particularly football. But things are so screwed up. Texas Tech wants a quarterback who gambles on his own team? A Texas judge thinks such conduct is hunky dory, as does apparently, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton? Where will this idiocy end? When will it end?

Well, it ended. Kind of. After creating all of this chaos and havoc, Brendan Sorsby is leaving Texas Tech to enter the NFL supplemental draft. Go. Bet on the pros. Loser!

For years Major League Baseball has had a rule forbidding players writing messages and symbols on their hats. And for years, MLB has looked the other way, as players are always writing messages and symbols on their hats. Until now. Apparently, Commissioner Rob Manfred–the absolute worst baseball commissioner ever–is warning players against violating the rule. Why? Well, it is “Pride Month”, and teams will have rainbow adorned “Pride” hats. Some players have refused to wear them. And others have written Bible verses on their hats. All of which upsets the radical LGBTQ++ crowd. And we cannot have that, can we?

GFK

“Why have we had such a decline in moral climate?  I submit to you that a major factor has been a change in the philosophy which has been dominant, a change from belief in individual responsibility to belief in social responsibility.  If you adopt the view that a man is not responsible for his own behavior, that somehow society is responsible, why should he seek to make his behavior good?”

–Milton Friedman.

There is a lot of complaining in our society today. There is a lot of bad behavior in our society today. It is maddening to hear and see it, day in and day out. We are a rather ungrateful, impatient, greedy and envious society. The day after Elon Musk became the world’s 1st trillionaire due to SPACE X public offering, Democrats reacted by vowing to ensure that he would not be a trillionaire long, and that he would be the last trillionaire. Sigh. Sometimes it is hard to remember that we live in the freest, most prosperous society ever to exist.

Today, I am sharing 3 items. The 1st item was provided to me by a dear reader, and focuses on perspective and gratitude. The 2nd item concerns the Left’s willingness to sacrifice religious and property rights to the mob’s desire to express itself. And the 3rd item puts the lie to U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico’s (D. Tx.) supposed piety and Christian grounding. Enjoy!

____________________________________________________________________

“ WE HAVE A PROBLEM: This is a well written and thought out article written by a 26 yr old college student by the name of Alyssa Ahlgren, who’s in grad school for her MBA. What a GREAT perspective . . .

My Generation Is Blind to the Prosperity Around Us!

I’m sitting in a small coffee shop near Nokomis (Florida) trying to think of what to write about. I scroll through my newsfeed on my phone looking at the latest headlines of presidential candidates calling for policies to “fix” the so-called injustices of capitalism. I put my phone down and continue to look around.

I see people talking freely, working on their MacBook’s, ordering food they get in an instant, seeing cars go by outside, and it dawned on me. We live in the most privileged time in the most prosperous nation and we’ve become completely blind to it.

Vehicles, food, technology, freedom to associate with whom we choose.These things are so ingrained in our American way of life we don’t give them a second thought.

We are so well off here in the United States that our poverty line begins 31 times above the global average. Thirty One Times!!!

Virtually no one in the United States is considered poor by global standards. Yet, in a time where we can order a product off Amazon with one click and have it at our doorstep the next day, we are unappreciative, unsatisfied, and ungrateful. ??

Our unappreciation is evident as the popularity of socialist policies among my generation continues to grow. Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [Puddin’head!] recently said to Newsweek talking about the millennial generation, “An entire generation, which is now becoming one of the largest electorates in America, came of age and never saw American prosperity.”

Never saw American prosperity! Let that sink in.

When I first read that statement, I thought to myself, that was quite literally the most entitled and factually illiterate thing I’ve ever heard in my 26 years on this earth. Many young people agree with her, which is entirely misguided.

My generation is being indoctrinated by a mainstream narrative to actually believe we have never seen prosperity. I know this first hand, I went to college, let’s just say I didn’t have the popular opinion, but I digress.

Why then, with all of the overwhelming evidence around us, evidence that I can even see sitting at a coffee shop, do we not view this as prosperity? We have people who are dying to get into our country.

People around the world destitute and truly impoverished. Yet, we have a young generation convinced they’ve never seen prosperity, and as a result, we elect some politicians who are dead set on taking steps towards abolishing capitalism.

Why? The answer is this,?? my generation has only seen prosperity. We have no contrast. We didn’t live in the great depression, or live through two world wars, the Korean War, The Vietnam War or we didn’t see the rise and fall of socialism and communism.

We don’t know what it’s like to live without the internet, without cars, without smartphones. We don’t have a lack of prosperity problem. We have an entitlement problem, an ungratefulness problem, and it’s spreading like a plague.” #pleaseshare”

____________________________________________________________________

What’s a little mob attack on a church service?

St. Paul city attorney’s case dismissal reassures violent leftists

BY:          Robert Knight, The Washington Times (June 7, 2026).

If you are a left-wing activist living in St. Paul, Minnesota, you now have official state sanction to invade a church, scream at parishioners, terrify children and harass people on their way out of worship services.

All that happened at Cities Church on Jan. 18, when a mob invaded the Southern Baptist church during a protest because one of its pastors is an official with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Protesters reduced children to tears by screaming at them, “Do you know your parents are Nazis? They are going to burn in hell.” Others accused the parishioners of being “rich” and “White.”

On Wednesday, because none of the 39 people arrested had committed physical violence or vandalism, St. Paul City Attorney Irene Kao dismissed all state charges.

“This decision should not be interpreted as an endorsement of unlawful behavior or public disorder,” Ms. Kao said. “The right to peacefully protest is protected, as is the right to exercise one’s religious beliefs. Balancing these equally important rights is paramount to our decision today.”

What part of shutting down a worship service and harassing worshippers constitutes “balancing”? Letting the mob get away with it?

“They had stormed into the house of God, a place of peace and refuge, and they defiled it with rage,” Lead Pastor Jonathan Parnell wrote in an op-ed in which he offered an olive branch to the protesters, writing that the love of Jesus “is a joy that opens wide its arms to our cities, even to those who raised their fists against us.”

Although the defendants still face charges brought by a federal grand jury, the city attorney’s dismissal of the cases sends a loud signal to heavily subsidized and coordinated left-wing protest networks: “Don’t worry. We’ve got your back, especially here in one of the most progressive sanctuary cities in the nation.”

The church was invaded after days of protests against ICE roundups of thousands of illegal alien criminals in Minneapolis, during which two anti-ICE activists were killed.

One of those in the Cities Church mob in St. Paul was former CNN news anchor Don Lemon, who had conferred with the activists and given them donuts before the church invasion.

Although he insists that he was merely a journalist livestreaming the protest, Mr. Lemon was arrested on charges of violating state and federal civil rights laws. The federal charges include “acts of oppression, intimidation, threats, interference and physical obstruction.”

Still, the church invasion was apparently no big deal to Ms. Kao, a longtime progressive activist who spearheaded diversity, equity and inclusion policies at the Minnesota Bar Association.

In practice, DEI means open discrimination against Whites, males, Christians and conservatives — and, increasingly, against Jews.

Catholic League President Bill Donohue wrote a letter Thursday to Ms. Kao, asking why the church invasion did not constitute a First Amendment violation.

“If someone organized a group of protesters to take over your office, would you find that acceptable?” he wrote. “There would be no violence — just in-your-face invective and intimidation. If this were to happen, you wouldn’t have a leg to stand on, morally or legally.”

Mr. Donohue also wrote a letter Thursday to acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche, asking him to make the Cities Church case a priority.

Noting that he himself had attended a rally a week earlier to protest hatred against Jews in New York City, Mr. Donohue wrote: “Today I am rallying to the side of our Protestant brothers in St. Paul who have been targeted by hate mongers. If people of faith cannot practice their religion without intimidation and interference, it means their First Amendment right to religious liberty means nothing.”

Antisemitic incidents are increasing in places such as New York, London, Paris and Sydney.

Mosques are not immune either. In San Diego on May 18, two radicalized teenagers driven by White supremacist and Nazi ideologies killed three people at an Islamic center. Evidence indicates the two shooters pretty much hate everyone, especially women and Jews, for which they blame even the rise of Islam.

After the Hamas invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and Israel’s subsequent retaliatory attacks in the Gaza Strip, Jewish students on U.S. college campuses feared for their lives as pro-Hamas demonstrators erected anti-Zionist tent cities and told Jews they were no longer welcome.

College administrators were so worried about not appearing woke that they failed to crack down on the harassers, leading to congressional hearings and several high-ranking college officials forced to step down.

It is important to confront official indifference to attacks on religious liberty and law and order. Otherwise, it just metastasizes.

The same sort of mob that attacked Cities Church, led by paid agitators, has been rioting at the Delaney Hall ICE detention facility in Newark, New Jersey. The agitators are either confident that nothing will happen to them or hoping to trigger another fatality that they can exploit.

As of this writing, law enforcement officers in cities, states and the federal government have managed to avoid such an outcome.

As for the St. Paul prosecutor, Mr. Donohue finished his letter to her this way: “I hasten to add that your workplace does not merit the special protections afforded a house of worship. But that wouldn’t stop you from screaming to high heaven if protesters invaded your space.”

____________________________________________________________________

Pastor’s open letter to Senate candidate James Talarico says it all

BY:          Everett Piper, The Washington Times (June 7, 2026).

The list of biblical absurdities from James Talarico, the Democratic Senate candidate in Texas, continues to grow.

In addition to his claims that God is “nonbinary,” that “the Bible is silent about abortion” and that there are “six different genders,” we now have his contention that Mary’s consent to the virgin birth is a story about her being “pro-choice.”

How should we respond?

Well, sometimes someone else has already said it better than you ever could. The following is an abbreviated version of an open letter written by Jeff Mullen, a pastor from Nevada, and posted to his social media on May 29.

If you are a faithful Christian (or even someone who is just curious about what the Christian faith is all about), this is the best thing you will read today.

“Dear Representative Talarico,

I do not write as a political opponent, but as a fellow citizen concerned about the growing confusion surrounding faith, truth, and Scripture. Because you frequently speak about Christianity, quote the Bible and present your views as expressions of Christian conviction, [many people] naturally assume they are hearing biblical truth.

My concern is that some of the positions you advocate may lead sincere people away from the clear teaching of Scripture and toward a version of Christianity that reflects the spirit of the age more than the Word of God. …

For that reason, I offer these thoughts — not as an attack, but as a pastoral appeal for biblical clarity and faithfulness.

Concerning your statement that God is nonbinary: Throughout Scripture, God consistently reveals Himself as Father. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, ‘Our Father in heaven’ (Matthew 6:9). Christ is the Son, and the Church is His Bride. These are not accidental descriptions but part of God’s self-revelation.

Every generation faces the temptation to reshape God according to its own values. Ancient cultures carved idols from stone. Modern cultures often carve them from ideology. Faithful Christianity begins by allowing God to define Himself rather than redefining Him according to cultural preferences. We do not improve upon divine revelation; we submit to it.

Concerning your statement that the Bible is silent on abortion: Scripture speaks clearly about life in the womb. David wrote, “You knit me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). God told Jeremiah, ‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you’ (Jeremiah 1:5). John the Baptist responded to Christ while still in his mother’s womb (Luke 1:41).

The consistent testimony of Scripture is that unborn children are known by God, created by God, and valued by God. The question is not whether the word abortion appears in the Bible.

The question is whether the child in the womb is a human life bearing God’s image.

Scripture answers that question repeatedly and clearly. Christians have historically defended the unborn not because of politics, but because every human life belongs to God.

Concerning your use of Mary’s consent to defend abortion rights: Mary’s response to Gabriel was not an assertion of autonomy but an expression of surrender. When told of God’s plan, she replied, ‘I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word’ (Luke 1:38).

The entire story of the incarnation celebrates the acceptance and protection of life within the womb. … Mary’s example is not about the right to end life but the willingness to trust God with it. To use the incarnation as support for abortion requires reversing the very message the story proclaims.

Concerning your statements about biological sex: Scripture teaches that humanity was intentionally created as male and female. Genesis declares, ‘Male and female He created them’ (Genesis 1:27), and Jesus reaffirmed that truth (Matthew 19:4). The Christian understanding of sex is rooted not in cultural tradition but in God’s design. Our identity is not ultimately discovered through self-definition but through submission to the One who created us. … [Mr. Talarico], the deeper concern behind [all] these issues is [what appears to be your attempt to reshape] Christianity so it aligns more comfortably with [your culture’s values rather than God’s]. … Paul warned Timothy that a time would come when people would seek teachers who tell them what they want to hear rather than what God has said (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

The role of Christian leaders is not to make Scripture acceptable to the culture. It is to faithfully proclaim Scripture, whether the culture applauds or rejects it.

Politics is temporary. Elections are temporary. Legislative victories are temporary. Souls are not. Scripture teaches that those who influence others bear a greater responsibility before God. … Jesus warns against leading others astray. These truths should humble every pastor, teacher … and [politician] who [publicly] speaks in God’s name.

My concern is not your political party, [Mr. Talarico]. My concern is whether the Jesus being presented to the public is the Jesus revealed in Scripture. …

America does not need progressive Christianity or conservative Christianity. America needs biblical Christianity — faithful to God’s Word, centered on Christ, and unafraid to proclaim truth in love.

Respectfully,

Jeff Mullen

Pastor emeritus

Henderson, Nevada”

GFK

“In the end, legitimacy is not inherited.  It is earned. It does not arise from ancestry, mythology, chronology, or blood.  It arises from competence, justice, liberty, opportunity, and the rule of law.  The question is not who was here first.  The question has always been, and will always be, who governs well.”

–Tyler Durden, Indigenous Nonsense.

A dear reader sent me the most interesting article, from which the above-quote is excerpted. The main premise is that all these Leftist claims of the righteous claims of the so-called “indigenous peoples” is bunk. It deals mainly with the Aztecs and Mayans in Mexico, but touches on other countries in Europe, America, the Middle East, and Africa as well. And it makes its point well. You can rail against colonialism all you want, but do you really believe that the American Indians would have developed a great country such as the United States? Or how about India? If the British had not colonized the subcontinent, those folks would likely still be wandering around in the horrific heat, dressed in loincloths like Ghandi. Britain build both Singapore and Hong Kong into economic powerhouses with freedoms and liberties. Could the Chinese have done that? No. Indeed, look at what has befallen to Hong Kong since the Communists took over. I highly recommend Mr. Durden’s article. It is a short, but quite interesting read. And thank you dear reader, for sharing!

“It is often said that men are ruled by their imaginations; but it would be truer to say they are governed by the weakness of their imaginations.”

–Walter Bagehot.

For so many years, Republicans in Washington, D.C. have made great promises to the American people about what they would do if given power. And yet, they never seem to do those things. Never.

People who claim to be “conservative” are really not. Speaker of the House John Boehner (R. Oh.)? Nope. Representative John Kasich (R. Oh.)? No, no, no. Former Presidential nominee Mitt Romney (R. Ut.) claimed to be a “severe conservative”. Do not make me laugh. Senators Mitch McConnell (R. Ky.), John Thune (R. S.D.), John Cornyn (R. Tx.), and the late John McCain (R. Az.)? Ha, ha, ha, ha! C’mon, man!

One can expect Democrats to attack and undermine President Trump. They do so on a daily basis. But Republicans? Supposedly “conservative” Republicans? Why?

“Will we remain the party of conservative principles or embrace progressivism in the guise of populism?”

–Former Vice-President of the United States Mike Pence (R. In.), writing in The Wall Street Journal, in criticism of President Trump.

Mike Pence is a seemingly good man, faithful to his God, family, and country. He served as a decent Vice-President, after lackluster stints as a U.S. Representative and Indiana Governor. Mr. Pence touts himself as a “conservative”, and ran briefly for President in 2024. But is Mike Pence really “conservative”? Whatever did Mike Pence accomplish while in government? And is Mr. Trump really “progressive”?

Let’s look at some things. Mr. Pence accuses President Trump of being an “isolationist”, and claims that this antithetical to being a solid conservative Republican. But is Mr. Trump an isolationist?

Here is a partial list of things Mr. Trump is working on that help the world, including the United States:

• Working to finish Iran’s 47-year threat to the U.S., Israel, and the world.
• Destroying Iran’s terrorist proxies.
• Completing several peace agreements.
• Helping Nigeria destroy terrorists and protect Christians.
• Giving the people in Venezuela, Cuba, and Iran the opportunity for freedom and prosperity.
• Getting NATO countries to pay up.
• Reducing China’s influence in South America and Africa.
• Taking away China’s ability to control 90% of rare earth minerals.
• Taking away China’s control of both ports of the Panama Canal. 
• Telling Europe to produce more oil and stop relying on Russia.
• Making U.S energy products available throughout the world.
• Working and completing trade deals.
• Destroying Mexican cartels.
• Destroying Venezuelan drug-runners.

President Trump is achieving things that career diplomats and traditional conservatives have failed at or didn’t even attempt; he is by no definition of the word, an isolationist.

And here is an abbreviated list of policies President Trump is working on domestically which most Republicans and/or “traditional conservatives” never tackled:

• Closed the border and is building the wall. Most Republicans just looked the other way as China Joe and his autopen flooded America with illegals.
• Working to hold sanctuary cities and states accountable thus reducing murder and other crimes.
• Trying to follow the law by making sure that illegals are not participating in entitlement programs.
• Trying to get rid of ridiculous birthright citizenship and birth tourism.
• Made the 2017 tax cut permanent and expanded the law to include tax reductions on tips and overtime, along with immediate expensing of factories. Tax revenues continue to rise faster than inflation. (That bill included scholarships for poor children to have school choice.)
• Implemented Trump accounts, which will show the joy of capitalism over government dependence and socialism to poor- and middle-class children.
• Mr. Trump tells the truth that dire climate predictions by green pushers were always a scam. Most traditional conservatives just caved to the left’s agenda (albeit at a slower pace) as Biden and others set out to destroy oil, natural gas, coal production, and the economy. They were too scared of being called climate change deniers.
• Mr. Trump has achieved energy independence and is exporting because of his aggressive energy policies.
• Mr. Trump gave people freedom to buy vehicles they choose instead of the government dictatorially taking away choice.
• Mr. Trump is finally addressing massive fraud throughout the government. Most Republicans allowed the government dependence to grow. Sadly, the leftist media rarely reports all the fraud because they don’t care. They should stop pretending they care about deficits.
• After decades of just throwing money at higher education, the Trump administration is limiting the amount of loans.
• Mr. Trump is requiring mentally and physically able people to work part-time for welfare benefits. 
• Mr. Trump gave people back freedom of choice on health care when he got rid of the individual mandate and eliminated generous subsidies for high income workers that Biden implemented. There is massive fraud in Obamacare which has made large companies extremely rich and harmed the rest of us.
• Cut 300,000 federal workers in 2025. Where have the traditional conservatives been?
• Mr. Trump is trying to pass sensible rules for voting. Anyone with a brain can look at the California primary and see how easy it is to cheat.

Mike Pence also complains that Mr. Trump isn’t pro-life enough, but the traditional conservatives allowed massive funding of Planned Parenthood, and Mr. Trump pardoned pro-life people who were imprisoned by the politicized China Joe Justice department.

The Mike Pences, John Thunes, Mitch McConnells, and John Cornyns accomplished nothing while in office of any conservative consequence. Neither did Presidents George H.W. Bush nor George W. Bush. All claimed to be “conservative”. But their records belie that claim.

By contrast, I submit that while President Trump is not a “conservative”, he has accomplished more things on the conservative agenda (or attempted to do so) than any other President, or politician, since President Ronald Reagan. He is certainly not a “progressive”. For that, we should be grateful.

Mike Pence is not a deep thinker. And he is not a doer. He is a man that would not row a boat for fear of disrupting a placid lake surface. He prefers the status quo, the false admiration of the mainstream media and his colleagues, than to actually risk anything to accomplish something.

President Trump is not a “conservative”. President Trump is not perfect. And President Trump has a style that rubs the establishment the wrong way. So what? President Trump is accomplishing things that others merely promised. Results matter.

Below I have included a recent article from The American Thinker, which addresses the failure of the spineless members of The Stupid Party, whose timidity put the country in its current position. It dovetails nicely with the above commentary.

____________________________________________________________________

The Calamitous Legacy of the GOP’s Civility Caucus

While the Democrat Party was stealthily being taken over by the American Marxist movement, the Republican Party wing of the Washington Establishment was wallowing in political civility. 

BY:          Steve McCann, The American Thinker (June 2, 2026).

Why does the United States find itself in a political environment wherein the ruthless and fully radicalized Democrat Party was, before Donald Trump’s second term, well on the way to transforming the country into a Marxist “paradise”? It is because until Donald Trump effectively took over the Republican Party in 2024, after soundly defeating the two-party Washington Establishment and the unrelenting and vile machinations they unleashed against him from 2015 to 2024, there has not been a viable, determined, and equally ruthless opposition party.

While the Democrat Party was stealthily being taken over by the American Marxist movement and subsequently employing the tactics used by the Nazi Party during the 1920s and early 30s, the Republican Party wing of the Washington Establishment was wallowing in political civility and its corollary, obsequious compromising, choosing to not only be nonconfrontational but to bend over backwards in order to continuously accommodate the Democrats regardless of the absurdity of their demands.

How did this situation evolve? While it had its beginning during the 1930s, it accelerated dramatically in 1988 with the election of George H.W. Bush. He won, not on his own merits, but almost solely because he was the beneficiary of being the vice-president during the two terms of Ronald Reagan, in many ways the most successful and popular president of the twentieth century, but who also was vilified by the Washington Establishment as being an oblivious racist who was an uncivil, uncouth, and senile warmonger.

On the other hand, the Bush family dynasty exemplified the patrician attitude of holding oneself above the fray and fulfilling their preordained obligation to society while assuming those who may disagree or are political adversaries are equally honorable people. Among the archives at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library are the texts of 27 major speeches he delivered during his presidency referencing the importance of civility in our discourse and politics.

During the 1992 presidential election campaign, George H.W. Bush, in keeping with his penchant for civility, ran a lackluster campaign against Bill Clinton relying on the belief that his litany of compromises with the Democrats would buy their goodwill. The Bush campaign and the Republican National Committee, upon his instructions, never responded to a parade of false accusations and never went for the jugular with Clinton, who was saddled with innumerable scandals.

Clinton, not shackled by the niceties of civility, unabashedly attacked Bush’s character and integrity, accusing him of being an inveterate liar and conman. He falsely implied that Bush, despite not a shred of evidence, was not only complicit, but a major player in the Iran-Contra scandal while vice president.

This charge was seemingly coordinated with Lawrence Walsh, the Special Prosecutor for the Iran-Contra Affair. A mere two weeks before the election, he indicted Caspar Weinberger,  Bush’s Secretary of Defense, for a second time while obliquely mentioning Bush in the footnotes. Four weeks later, a federal district court judge threw out the indictment, but the damage was done and Bill Clinton was president for the next eight years.

While George H.W. Bush opened the door to political civility as being applicable to Republicans only, his son George W. Bush cemented that premise as being the foundational underpinning of Republicans not only running for president but Congress as well.

In his Inaugural Address in 2001, George W. Bush stated the following as he committed himself to adhering to the ideal of political civility:

Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment. It is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos.

These are fine and noble sentiments if both political parties endeavor to follow them, but not if one party is hellbent on overturning the foundational tenets of the country by any means possible.

During his eight years in office, Bush was incessantly and falsely accused by the Democrats and their allies in the media of being the worst human being on earth as he was a genocidal warmonger, one of the most racist presidents in history, a prevaricator, as well as a misogynist. Therefore, he was someone who should be assassinated for the benefit of mankind.

But in keeping with his dedication to civility and reverence for the office, Bush, following in his father’s footsteps, consistently compromised with the Democrats while refusing to respond or allow his subordinates to defend him in public against any of these vile charges, thus by default cementing the caricature of a malevolent buffoon in the public psyche. By the end of his presidency, Bush’s approval rating of 22% was the lowest ever recorded.

Not having learned their lesson from the George Bush experience — that the Democrats and their allies in the media would never again campaign on issues but instead focus on personal destruction and incivility — the Republican Establishment in 2008 orchestrated the nomination of the next man in line and a member of the Civility Caucus, John McCain, who ran his campaign as the model of civility and decorum against the neo-Marxist Barack Obama. Predictably, the opposition went scorched earth.

During the campaign and using the playbook established to tear down George W. Bush, John McCain, an American military hero, was smeared as warmonger, an unapologetic racist, of having an affair with a lobbyist, of being a phony POW in Vietnam, and too old and scared by his POW experience to be president.  

Like Bush, McCain refused to aggressively fight back and take the offensive. Unsurprisingly, he was soundly defeated by Barack Obama, thus opening the door for the American Marxist movement to fully take over the Democrat Party. Further, during his presidency, Obama unabashedly exploited the political civility and compromise mindset of the cowering Civility Caucus in Congress, who were further intimidated by Obama’s unabashed exploitation of his skin color.

The Tea Party Movement of 2010 was a direct response not only to the efforts of Obama and his henchmen to transform America culturally and economically, but more importantly, it was a gut reaction to the Republican Party Establishment and its presidential candidates, as well as the vast majority of Congressional candidates continuously surrendering while waving the white flag of civility and accommodation. Particularly as the Democrats were free to wage scorched-earth campaigns without compunction, consequence, or pushback, knowing that if the Republicans won, their dedication to compromise would allow them to still achieve their objectives.

The Republican Party Establishment not only chose to ignore this grassroots movement that was the primary catalyst in the 2010 mid-term election of an historic 63 new Republican seats in the House, but mocked and belittled the Tea Party while remaining mired in their civility and compromise mindset.

In 2012, the Establishment stage-managed the nomination of Mitt Romney, another member of the Civility Caucus. As he had no skeletons in his closet, they assumed he could avoid or weather the character assassination tactics of the media and the Democrats.

As expected, Romney chose to utilize the same bland and civil campaign tactics of his predecessors instead of exploiting Obama’s character flaws, radicalism, and the underlying factors in his historic defeat in the 2010 midterms (causing Obama to openly admit that he suffered a “shellacking” in the election).

However, it took little time for the left-wing forces arrayed against Romney to fire their volleys. A new and previously off-limits accusation was hurled as the Democrat machine compared Romney and the Republican Party to Nazis. Romney was also portrayed as a right-wing extremist, a congenital liar, a warmonger, and a corporate elitist whose only interest was protecting the wealthy. Further, he was a sexist bordering on being a misogynist. And he, of course, was a racist as were all Republicans.  

By the end of the campaign, Romney, like both Bushes and John McCain before him, was portrayed as being among the most reprehensible men on earth and the Republican Party as the personification of evil.

Yet these gentlemen and the party establishment never responded and accepted these caricatures with civility and grace. Meanwhile, the congressional members of Civility Caucus continued to unabashedly promote compromise while the country inexorably fell into the hands of the neo-Marxists and radicals in the Democrat Party.

Rank and file Republicans and conservatives instinctively knew that 2016 was a watershed election. The future of the nation as founded was hanging by a thread. When Donald Trump declared his intention to run for president, he immediately vaulted to the top of the Republican field because he made it clear he would not follow in the footsteps of the recent spineless nominees by not only confronting the Democrats but, more importantly, purging the Republican Party of its nation-destroying “civility caucus.”

Overshadowing Donald Trump’s historic second-term accomplishments in international affairs and the restoration of the American culture and economy will be the potentially dramatic transformation of the Republican Party into a formidable and determined opposition focused on defeating the American Marxist movement while permanently disbanding the “civility caucus” that aided and abetted the evolution of the Democrat Party into being America’s most dangerous adversary.

GFK

“Go ahead and do the impossible.  It’s worth the look on the faces of those who said you couldn’t.”

–Walter Bagehot.

As I drove to Mass yesterday morning, I passed Boss Freeman’s Folly in downtown Winchester, Virginia. For more than 10 years, there has been the most unsightly and expensive vacant lot in front of The George Washington Hotel. The Winchester city government bought an old building, demolished it, and promised to develop it into a multiuse property, including an events center. Like most government projects, Boss Freeman’s Folly is a failure. But it is the perfect reminder of government incompetence, and profligacy.

President Trump speculated that the federal government would take over the management of Washington, D.C. if socialist Janeese George (D.) were elected mayor. D.C. Democrats are fuming at the threat.

Congress failed to renew FISA, a national security law promoted as necessary to stop international terrorism. The renewal failed because Democrats threw a temper tantrum over the President’s naming of William Pulte as acting Director of National Intelligence. The temper tantrum was led by Senator Mark Warner (D. Va.), a rather petulant child masquerading as an adult.

Assuming arguendo that FISA works, and is necessary, Democrats are willing to expose the American people to terrorist attacks because . . . Orange Man Bad. Think about that.

“Equity policies are only a threat if your ideals are grounded in white supremacy.”

–Representative Summer Lee (D. Pa.).

Do you follow that? Unless you are in favor of racism, you are a racist. The wrong kind of racist, but a racist to be sure.

“So right now, we fight for reparations because it’s owed us. It is owed us, so we’re not going to back down on that one way or another.”

–Representative Summer Lee (D. Pa.).

Representative Lee warns that if black Americans do not receive reparations now, they will refuse to vote, and drop out of participating in the American political system. Go ahead. Make my day.

A former girlfriend of U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner (D. Me.)–a self-described Leftist–claims that Mr. Platner bragged about his Nazi SS tattoo, and told her he got it to remind him that the United States was the world’s “evil, bad guy”. Wow.

In Alaska, Daniel J. Sullivan filed to run for the U.S. Senate as a Republican. The incumbent U.S. Senator is Daniel S. Sullivan (R.). Confusing, right? Well, following an investigation into “J.’s” candidacy, the Alaska Division of Elections has disqualified him from the ballot. Because he is not a Republican. He is a Leftist, contributing to Democrats, including Senator Sullivan’s Senatorial opponent, Mary Petola (D.). This was all a ruse to aid Mary Petola’s campaign. The Democrats must be plenty worried about the upcoming midterm elections if this is what they are stooping to doing.

Hempstead Township, New York is resisting the State legislature’s move to eliminate “mother” and “father” from the legal code. There is some sanity in The Empire State.

“Juries should represent the diversity of this country, and if a white kid was convicted of murder and it was an all-black jury that did the conviction, people would say this is patently unfair.  So why should it be fair if it’s the other way around?”

–Representative Christian Menefee (D. Tx.).  He is lying about the Karmelo Anthony jury’s composition.  It was not all white.

The Karmelo Anthony trial continues to spin out of control, along racial lines. Now members of Congress are getting into the act. But the key point is that this trial had nothing to do with race. Karmelo Anthony stabbed Austin Metcalf in the heart, unprovoked. He murdered him. And he confessed to police that he did so. Despite those facts, he received a rather lenient sentence of 35 years. The only people making this case about race, are the usual suspects who use race to their own advantage. Shame on them!

A new phenomenon erupted on social media, where racist black men video themselves urinating on the grave of Austin Metcalf, the murder victim of Karmelo Anthony. Words fail me . . . .

U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico (D. Tx.) is undergoing “political reassignment surgery”. The man is revising and rejecting his longstanding positions in an attempt to fool the electorate. First, he was all for “gender affirming care” (i.e., genital mutilation surgery). Now he is against it. Second, he sought to ban all semi-automatic weapons in Texas. Now he claims to be a big supporter of the Second Amendment. Third, he was a radical vegan, insisting that a plant based diet was necessary to save the planet from “climate change”. Now his campaign shows him nibbling on barbecue at every opportunity. Fourth, he wanted to transition America’s economy to a “green energy” economy, again to save the planet. Now he vows to protect Texas’s oil and gas industry. Fifth, James Talarico was for open borders, and even criticized President Obama for his “draconian” border policies. Now he calls for border security.

James Talarico is a lying Leftist. Whatever he is claiming today, if elected, he will immediately revert to his previous positions. Don’t believe me? Ask a Virginian about Governor Abigail Spanberger (D.), who ran on a “moderate” platform.

Welcome to Berry Bros. & Rudd! The longtime supplier of spirits and wines to British royalty, Winston Churchill, and others, has opened its 1st store outside of London in . . . Washington, D.C. The store is located at Farragut Square, just North of The White House. I’ve got to go check this out, even though it means going downtown.

Chick-Fil-A is adding a kid’s mac-n-cheese meal to its menu. Woo hoo!

The United States has been quietly moving oil tankers out of the Persian Gulf, through the Straits of Hormuz, under the cover of darkness. Iran cannot detect the ships’ movements, since all of its radar installations have been destroyed. Once in the Gulf of Oman, the oil is released to other tankers, and then shipped to market. This might explain how the world barrel price is under $80.00 and falling.

The Ipswich High School [Massachusetts] boy’s lacrosse team had to forfeit its State semifinal playoff game, after the school suspended the team. It seems that the recent graduates had posed for a picture in their caps and gowns, with unlit cigars. And that was enough to cause school administrators to hyperventilate, and impose the suspensions. What a . . . !

“A lot of them [Republicans are fascists], yeah.  Certainly, the President is.  I wish he was [sic] out here playing, hopefully run him over when I’m sliding home.”

–the afore-mentioned Representative Christian Menefee (D. Tx.), fantasizing about the Democrat team beating the Republican team in the annual Congressional Baseball game.  It did not happen, as the Democrats lost for the 6^th year in a row. 

The California Democrat Party issued a statement that if you have ever criticized DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion), you are not permitted to watch the World Cup. Sigh. I do not even know what that means. I doubt California Democrats do either.

But in the spirit of comity, and because I constantly criticize DEI, I shall refrain from watching the World Cup. Also, because soccer is a boring sport, imposed on American audiences by European and Third World socialists.

As an aside, USA beat Paraguay in the first round of the World Cup, 4-1. I did not watch it.

Today begins the Virginia State Golf Association Senior Stroke Play tournament at Wintergreen. Jon Hurst is looking to become the 1st back to back winner since Keith Decker accomplished that feat in 2013-2014.

2024 VSGA golfer of the year Logan Reilly qualified for the U.S. Open this week at Shinnecock Hills. He shot 68-67 over 2 rounds at Woodmont Country Club to advance to the tournament. Earlier this year, Logan Reilly helped Auburn University claim the NCAA Division I men’s golf championship.

Phil Mickelson is threatening to sue his former golf club, insisting that there is no video showing his actions, therefore no proof, and he claims that he did not do it, so there. Way to keep an unflattering story alive, Phil. You are really not helping yourself.

Congratulations to the New York Knicks on winning the NBA championship, the team’s first since 1973. Remember that, Governor Hochul (D.). It was 1973, not 1993.

Following the Knicks’ victory, riots broke out in Times Square. Vandalism ensued, fights broke out, Palestinian flags were waved, police cars were destroyed, 5 buses were set on fire, and one person was shot. Sigh. Those New Yorkers sure know how to celebrate.

Long time NBC’s Today show movie critic Gene Shalit has died at age 100. R. I. P.

Actor and comedian Ronnie Schell, best known for his role as Duke Slater in the television series Gomer Pyle USMC, has died at age 94. R. I. P.

GFK