The Southeastern Dominance

This season's SEC men's basketball will be crowned as the best by any conference so far. In the championship game, Florida was not overpowering but scraped out a hard-earned win. The Gator victory capped off a spectacular year for the league, wherein all but two teams were invited to the NCAA Tournament, and half the Final Four were members, with the Gators ultimately proving supreme and acquitting the Southeastern Conference as the toughest ever in Men's Division I. 

The Right Thing?

Trump waging a tariff war now is not necessary and will destroy his popularity. After the election where he not only won the Electoral College but the popular vote, Trump had a mandate but that was to restore and enhance prosperity, not to cause a recession. Have other nations exploited the United States? Sure, absolutely but the answer to that is NOT to make the American people suffer more by tanking the 401(k)s and stocks. Waging the tariff fight now is a choice by Trump, and a very destructive one for Americans just digging themselves out of COVID economic dislocation and the Biden mismanagement. Please President Trump- wake up and stop crushing your own voters. 

The Realistic View

Trump's tariffs are a terrible mistake from many perspectives. They may be the absolute right course for anyone interested in fair trade, as America has been subjected to unfair practices that negate free trade for decades. Everything from tariffs against exported US goods, to markets completely closed to certain US goods, to currency manipulation, particularly by Red China, have been implemented to harm America. In order to have truly free trade, it must be a level playing field for every country, but it has been slanted against American manufacturers and farmers with Trump finally fighting back on their behalf. The problem with Trump imposing tariffs now is that he is harming most Americans, and the goal of bringing production back on shore may ultimately help very few as those returning plants will be automated and staffed by many robots and only enough people to service the robots that will actually be making most of the goods. As for monetary policy, is Fed Chair Jay Powell right that the Trump tariffs will spike inflation, and therefore, the Federal Reserve can't lower interest rates to stimulate the economy as Trump demands? Yes, but Powell was silent as Biden and his rubber stamp Congress were spending the United States into oblivion, and actually tailored American monetary policy to keep DemocRATS in power and in the White House. Powell will stand as an opponent and obstacle to Trump while he was just the opposite to Biden and Harris. Trump's policy is moral and correct but also enormously destructive to the prosperity he is trying to deliver. 

The Pessimistic View

Trump imposing tariffs may be the morally correct path because American goods have been subjected to foreign tariffs without response for far too long, but what of the damage done to most of America's households? Everything they were buying from abroad will now cost more, but they will not be making anymore to pay for it. Not to mention the 401(k) and individual shareholder bloodbath taking place. Sometimes, doing the right thing is painful, but these tariffs are killing us, and there is virtually no upside for America as technology is replacing workers everyday and everywhere, so jobs will not be coming back to our country in any significant numbers, even if the manufacturing facilities ultimately do return to our shores. 

Bit of Optimism

Donald Trump can't cure what ails America's economy. He will not be in office long enough to undo the damage of awful economic policy, lousy negotiations with foreign leaders, horrendous trade policy, and cronyism that have reduced the United States to where we are now. Ross Perot heard that "giant sucking sound" of American jobs leaving and could not have been more right but was mocked by both liberals and conservatives alike, when time has demonstrated that the factories really did depart in droves with NAFTA. The problem we have at the moment is that Trump can't reverse the decline in four or even the somewhat mythic eight years (which won't happen). He is also poisoning his MAGA brand so that he will likely not have a successor to continue his "bring jobs back to America" mission, and industry is changing with automation and robotics, wherein the blue collar positions will be reduced substantially no matter where the assembly and manufacturing plants are. So the President in attempting to do service for Americans and in principle absolutely the right thing is in the process of making Trumpism toxic and ensuring it ends with this one last term. Then back to the Deep State, the Swamp, the offshoring of jobs, and the managed decline of the United States we go. 

Tornado Proof Construction

There is no building material that is able to withstand the most fierce tornado. You can take natural disasters into account in construction codes, but there will always be a weather event so powerful that it overwhelms anything man has the ability to construct. Lord, help America including my home state of Tennessee as we are beset with violent spring storms. 

About "Free Trade"

America has been subjected to the tariffs and closed markets of many nations. This is not fair trade. Without fair trade, there can't be free trade. Uncle Sam has been Uncle Sucker far too long, but Trump is determined to change that. 

Mandatory Death Penalty

Membership alone in certain jihadi movements merits execution. Daesh (ISIS) burned people alive in cages. They drowned others in similar contraptions. If you make a video pledging your loyalty unto death to this terrorist organization, capital punishment is exactly what you deserve. You can't volunteer to be a brutally sadistic murderer without the harshest consequences. After witnessing what Hamas did on October 7, 2023, their adherents deserve no mercy either. 

Half the Field

The NCAA Tournament is down to the Final Four, and the much vaunted Southeastern Conference did not disappoint. Two of the remaining teams are from this best ever conference, with one inevitably reaching the championship game. I would say Florida would be that team, with Auburn's best player Johni Broome battling persistent injuries, that were aggravated during the Final Eight contest against Michigan State. My heart is with Auburn, but my mind is screaming "Gators". 

Kind of Leadership

If Federal judges obstruct the President at every turn as they are doing to Trump, America essentially ends up with a void in leadership. This situation would be different in scope and scale to the Biden regime where there was not an absence of direction, but rather just the case where Americans did not know who was leading. With old Joe's mental decline, it was obviously not him, but it remains in question who was leading the cabal.

Absolutely Powerless Presidency

Do you think our Constitution created a Commander-in-Chief who is not permitted to lead? How about Founding Fathers who conceived of Courts meant to shackle the executive branch? These events did NOT happen. President Trump is not acting as a dictator or king but simply trying to abide by the wishes of the millions of Americans who voted him into office. 

Trust Your Cat?

My mother had a Siamese cat that lived over twenty years. When I was a little boy, this gorgeous animal would come nuzzle me, purring in seemingly absolute contentment. Then this mercurial fellow out of nowhere would nip me with his razor-sharp teeth. Mom would say "that's a Siamese for you", but from my experience, many different breeds of feline will turn on a dime from a loving playmate into a biting nightmare. 

Cowboys and Horses

A stallion might try to kick your head in, but he will be honest about it. Maybe, most riders love their mounts because a steed never lied to anybody. If only people possessed the integrity of equines. 

In On It

The Washington press corps that was covering Biden were part and parcel members of the plot to cover up Joe's mental decline. They accepted submitting their questions in advance in the few venues fading Biden actually answered anything. The reporters knew this practice was NOT normal, and it should have been unacceptable to them, a red flag that something was deeply amiss within the White House, and it should have been reported to the public immediately rather than held back for over three years. A conspiracy of silence was entered into by the dinosaur media that was against journalistic ethics (such as they are) and against the public's interest and even compromised the safety of our nation. America should not have had an empty suit puppet at the helm. Reporters owed it to the country to reveal fading Joe's increasing incapacity. 

Makes No Difference

Whatever was shared intentionally or accidentally about America's attack plans for the Iran-proxy Houthis in Yemen will not alter the course or outcome of the campaign. Our military will simply overpower the seventh-century throwbacks there and the Iranians pulling their strings. 

Best Basketball Conference

An unprecedented fourteen teams out of the sixteen competing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) secured bids to this season's NCAA men's basketball tournament. We are now down to the final sixteen vying for the trophy, and almost half that have survived and advanced are from the still dominating SEC. It will mean little if a team representing the conference does not win the national title, but so far the league has lived up to the high expectations of the fans. 

Foolish Judicial Coup

Do you think that the people will side with the President who received over seventy-five million votes or the judges who nobody voted into power? Is a "Constitutional crisis" erupting? Quite possibly, but it is NOT Trump who is sparking it. It is the black-robed despots igniting an event they will come to regret. 

Trump the Scofflaw

The President has the duty to protect the nation. If a court or more broadly the Courts enfeeble Trump, then it is his moral obligation to ignore the constraints they are imposing. Will this be a Constitutional crisis? You bet, one caused entirely by an overreaching judiciary. 

Count on Roberts?

Donald Trump is hoping that the United States Supreme Court will quickly rule on the injunctions that Federal judges have imposed on the new administration to restrain action in a manner and scope never heretofore imposed on any American President. Trump should not believe the Chief Justice John Roberts will rule in his favor. Roberts has been called "a conservative jurist", but since he rose to lead the Court, his decisions have been anything but favoring the Right on everything except abortion. I think Roberts will smack down Trump at every opportunity, either because he wants to reserve power for the judiciary and against the executive and legislative branches, or Roberts really deplores Trump and feels for the good of the Nation that he must hem the President in, or as has been speculated, Roberts is the victim of kompromat and must follow the instructions he is receiving. Trump wants rulings soon and to his favor, but he will never get them from the nation's highest court. 

Judicial Activists Flourish

The United States has a pragmatic conservative President trying to restore the nation to a solid foundation. What sort of judge would strive to prevent that? Radical Marxists now inhabit a substantial portion of the Federal judiciary. 

The Powerless Presidency?

Do you think the Founding Fathers envisioned or the Constitution demands an executive branch blocked by the judiciary at every turn? I know what is happening now. It is not Trump who is "out of control", but the so-called "judges" who stymie the President at every step. 

Definitely the Best

John Wooden deserves even more credit than he has received as the greatest collegiate men's basketball coach. Some discount his accomplishments as only happening because of the level of talent UCLA had. Wooden recruited those players and in a clean and scrupulous way. He was not sending anyone envelops of cash that did happen at some major programs. It helped that he had all-time great players on his rosters, but he brought them there and nurtured their innate abilities. Wooden won his initial title before the cavalcade of superstars started coming to his campus. Wooden towers over all the other men's college basketball coaches. 

Built the Wall

Trump has not yet completed the wall at America's border. Activist judges are completing a wall around Trump to block him from governing the United States. He has more injunctions against him than all the previous Presidents combined, twice as many in fact in a few short months as any President who served out full terms, including FDR who was in the highest office over twelve years. Set our President free, so that he may keep the citizens free. 

No More Grace

President Trump is tired of the pirates of Yemen. He will no longer tolerate the terror that has heretofore emanated from the Houthis. This is another stark difference between Biden and whoever was actually running his administration and ruining the world. Trump will not tolerate the Tripolitanian freebooters of our time. The United States Navy and the rest of our powerful forces will smash the jihadist threat into oblivion. 

Humor and Equanimity

We already knew Donald Trump had courage, raising to pump his fist and shout "fight, fight, fight" after having been shot, but yesterday the President demonstrated his sense of composure and immediate forgiveness after a member of the media (presumably accidentally) struck Trump in the face with a microphone. He was momentarily taken aback but did not demand the clumsy boom mike holder be ejected. Trump handled the incident with a poise few could demonstrate.https://x.com/BNODesk/status/1900678131825909875

Higher Tax Threshold

President Trump wants the minimum earnings to be subject to the Federal Income Tax to rise to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The DemocRATS give lip service to being for the little gut. Trump actually is. 

Really Against Fascism?

Was the fellow the United States wants to deport just a student activist or an agitator active in promoting terrorism and denying Jewish students their civil rights on and even access to the university that they have paid to attend? This particular individual is important in and of himself but also as part of a broad conspiracy wherein Antifa, Communists, BLM-types, and Black Flag anarchists are all determined not merely to undermine America's support for Israel, but to bring down the United States itself. Should the Columbia instigator be deported? Absolutely, in a sane nation, this practitioner of fascism under another guise would have been kicked out already. 

Freedom's Last Bastion

Glenn Beck is reporting the looming Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) about to be imposed on Europe. The only bulwark left against tyranny is Donald Trump leading the United States. Every other developed country is in the process of abandoning individual rights. CBDC is the real "Mark of the Beast" being foisted on the People, and the last significant temporal force against it is Trump's power. 

Unhinged and Violent

Just a couple of years ago, Elon Musk was viewed as a champion of the Left who was going to save the environment with his electric vehicles. Now, his green-friendly Teslas have been subjected to vandalism and even arson. This is because Musk has made common cause with Donald Trump in an effort to reduce fraud and waste in government. The attacks on Tesla have become so bad that I have heard certain insurance companies are considering not renewing comprehensive policies on Tesla cars and trucks and that Tesla owners might have to purchase liability only plans. The radical fringe is in the grip of lunacy. You don't destroy someone's vehicle that was going to help save the world when she bought it because the manufacturer also happens to want to save our nation. 

Senseless Syria Slaughter

The Islamists who ousted the Assad regime are on a ruthless murder spree in Syria. They are butchering the Alawites from which the Assad clan emerged, but also Christians and Druze. It is incumbent on world bodies and decent people to stop these massacres now! 

Den of Devils

There were good and decent Germans who resisted Hitler every step of the way. Where are the Gazans standing up to Hamas? Where is the Palestinian Sophie Scholl? Has a Bonhoeffer arisen in Gaza to resist evil and advance real and lasting peace? I hope the Trump plan is implemented there so that the area is cleansed of murderous Islamists. 

An Interesting Fellow

My mother and I chatted with a fellow who pulled his Cadillac sedan into a space we wanted at the Green Hills Kroger. His voice had a certain resonance and reminded me of a friend and classmate of Mom's who has sometimes performed with Willie Nelson. Mr. Golden Pipes did not tell us his name at this time, but a half hour later we found ourselves checking out when he did. We were parked bumper to bumper, so we exited together and continued our conversation. Turns out he was a radio host I had been listening to much of my life. Jerry Minshall, it was a pleasure meeting you. You are a great gentleman and raconteur. 

The Criminal Court

Many on the Left were deeply disheartened that Trump installed Amy Coney Barrett as an Associate Justice on the United States Supreme Court. They needn't have worried as apart from abortion, most of her decisions have aligned with the liberal justices, and even on Roe v. Wade her correct interpretation of the Constitution only sent the matter back to the states which have overwhelming gone for the interests of the abortionists, with some estimates saying more pregnancies are being terminated now than before the ruling. Even in the few states that opted against infanticide, the abortifacient trade has surged with "doctors" in Blue States shipping these killing drugs to women in areas where restrictions were placed on abortion clinics. We also are burdened with the so-called "conservative" Chief Justice who it has been speculated since the Obamacare decision has some sort of compromising material hanging over him that has him often voting against original intent, and both these Justices seem determined to bind Trump's hands and keep the Deep State in full operation. 

Hackman's Sad Demise

Nobody alive knows precisely what happened to acting great Gene Hackman and his wife, but my surmise is that he might have died of natural causes and that his wife was so distraught that she took her own life. It has been mentioned they were greatly devoted to each other, and maybe she felt she just could not go on without him. Of course, I initially wondered about carbon monoxide poisoning as had been speculated about in the press, but when tests seemed to rule that out, I thought of a bond so strong scenario. 

Grading the Opposition

There have been Democrats who were great patriots and tremendous forces for good. JFK and Henry "Scoop" Jackson immediately come to mind. Patrick Moynihan made some great points and so did Joe Lieberman. Those Democrats and the ideology that they espoused are all dead, as is the political party they inhabited. It has become the DemocRAT Party composed of Marxists and misfits, sexual deviants and mental cases, and self-serving government employee union members including teachers who put their students last. Their display during the joint session where Trump spoke was odious. These DemocRATS offer nothing to help work-a-day Americans or America- only obstruction. 

The Tariff War

The one aspect of the tariff fight that mystifies me is why are tariffs on Canada and Mexico higher than those on implacable enemy Red China? If one of the rationales for the duties being imposed is Fentanyl, why have lower rates on Beijing where the precursor chemicals are all coming from, rather than our immediate neighbors who are just a pass-through for the evil being inflicted on America by the People's Republic? 

Oscar Against Israel

A documentary few saw or will ever see won an Oscar. It was made by Israelis and "Palestinians". The problem is the coexistence type of "Palestinian" has no authority among his own people, and when it comes down to it, very little constituency among "Palestinians". The "Palestinians" who have reached out for the brotherhood of man notions or genuine steps toward peace tend to be rapidly killed by more radical "Palestinians". The Jews who at this point in time would make a movie with people who want to extinguish the Jewish State are often called "self-loathing"; I would not necessarily say they hate themselves, just other Jews who are striving to survive in a nation under siege that suffered the worst attack on their brethren since the Holocaust on October 7, 2023 and have been struggling to prevent more such massacres ever since then. No, these Jewish filmmakers may not despise themselves but are kapos or court Jews, who will sell out their own People to survive a bit longer or accumulate a bit more for themselves. I will not name their documentary as I have no desire to promote them or it, nor will I ever pay to see any production in which they participate. 

Most Exciting Day

If you are a fan of Southeastern Conference basketball, you must have enjoyed yesterday's contests involving the Tennessee Volunteers and Vanderbilt. The Vols won on a buzzer beater in the tooth and nail rumble against the tough Alabama Crimson Tide team. The hero was somewhat unlikely as he is known as a great defender but not a three point shooter, yet Jahmai Mashack stood up like Reggie Miller at his peak and nailed the thirty foot game winner. The Commodores lagged the Missouri Tigers the entire game until the end, but managed to secure an overtime period that the home team absolutely dominated. Good on both my home state teams. May their stunning successes continue. 

No Moral Obligation

The United States is NOT obliged to defend the borders of the Ukraine. Trump is charged with defending the borders of America. Western Europe is in closer geographic proximity to the Russia war. Since the US saved them in World War II, our European allies have never fully maintained the burden of their own defense. Washington and our taxpayers paid the majority of the costs of protecting Western Europe. Trump is determined that America will not be exploited and that Europe will carry the weight of defending themselves. We do not need to fight Europe's war. Trump is preventing a third world war with his chastening of arrogant little Zelenskyy. 

Save Our Nation!

More injunctions have been issued blocking Donald Trump in a single month than were imposed upon all the former Presidents in over two hundred and thirty-five years. This obstruction is untenable. The United States has one President. These imperious judges are out of line. The Supreme Court must stop this insanity. 

The Hamstrung President

Judges, who are Leftist activists or even happen to have a wife who received a contract through a Federal Agency Trump is cutting, might consider recusing themselves or even have an ethical obligation to do so. Could you imagine a Federal judge somewhere when FDR was President telling him he could not fire a general who screwed up in his fight against the Empire of Japan? Well, those who in reality are radicals masquerading as judges (but retain their spot on the bench) are doing that every day to the President, who did not just prevail in the Electoral College but actually won the popular vote. For America to survive, Trump must be allowed to do what voters sent him back to Washington to accomplish. 

Oh, The Headwinds

America has gone from a self-dealing, senile puppet as President to an executive with no power at all, thwarted at every turn by Courts that were silent when Biden's strings were being pulled by the Deep State cabal. We were "leaderless" in each instance, with crooked old Joe as a mere figurehead, bending at the whim of his own staff ("I'll get in trouble if I answer that", Biden intoned. Trouble with who, for what? You were the leader of the nation). To Trump having the very reasons he was elected  never being enacted as black-robed bandits steal executive authority and tell the presumptive Leader of the Free World all the things he can't do. Judges never have run America as that was clearly designated the job of the President in our Constitution. We may indeed have a "Constitutional crisis" but is one of insane judicial overreach. 

How Peace Works

Fanatics, who do not value their own lives, make it impossible to reach peace. You may have a genuine cessation of hostilities in Ireland because both the Catholics and the Protestants value their own lives. In Gaza, Israel faces a death cult. Nobody can coexist with neighbors who gleefully want to slaughter the innocent babies of the other side. The IDF operates under the doctrine of "purity of arms", where they are willing to sacrifice their own troops to spare the lives of noncombatants in Gaza who are being used as human shields. No other army in the world would do that. Hamas and Israel will never be able to reach an accord. You can't make peace with those who do not value the sanctity of life. You simply must put them in a place where they no longer have the ability to harm the innocent. Then, harmony will flourish. 

Real Peace Plan

Gaza is not inhabited at the moment by people who are willing to make peace. The residents there are weaned on the hatred of Jews to the extent they would rather kill Jews than survive. At their rallies for years, they have shouted in Arabic, "we love death more than you love life", and they really mean it. Folks like that can't be reasoned with and need to be relocated away from the innocents that they are determined to murder. 

Unpack the Court

I am aware that Federal judicial appointments are for life but really wish the Marxist judges could be removed from the bench. They are ideological creatures devoted to harming America as founded. Trump is running up against them every time he tries to do what he was elected to accomplish. 

Real Buy In

Barack Hussein Obama declared that he "did not want any free riders" exploiting our health care system, and that was his supposedly fiscally-responsible motivation to impose Obamacare. Obama said foreigners would NEVER be able to access Affordable Car Act benefits. Biden turned that on its head in his magnetizing of America to maximize the number of aliens entering and sucking off of the taxpayers' burden. Trump is reversing that as quickly as he is able. The notion that the American taxpayer must fund the treatment the maladies of anyone who sneaks into the country is risible on its face, and the way nations are quickly bankrupted. 

Agree With Trump

Germany, before Hitler and the Holocaust, had produced culture and science. What has Gaza given the world? Hitler's empire was reduced to shambles and ashes. What should happen to the modern day Nazis of Gaza, who have given the world absolutely nothing of value? They worship death and produce the murder of innocents. I concur with Trump:"Wipe Gaza off the map". 

A Horror Show

The "peace-loving enclave" of Gaza gave back some of the Israeli dead today. Hamas returned locked coffins without the proper keys to open them. Two of the "victims" were cherubic red-headed brothers, abducted at nine months and four years of age respectively. Before the Israeli pathologists began their grim work, the coffins were checked for booby traps, as authorities in the Holy Land know just how reliable their interlocutors in Gaza are.  The IDF contends with butchers, anachronistic monsters, seventh century savages, atavists armed with the most high tech weapons of our age, and with the blood lust of the SS. There was no Jewish army at the time of Hitler, but there is now, and they know the gravity of their mission. "Never again" comes at this very instant. 

New York Pogrom

New York law enforcement stood by to allow terrorist sympathizers to engage in ethnic and religious intimidation of Orthodox Jews in their own neighborhood, the largest enclave of Jews in such a small area in America, Borough Park; yet, the police acted aggressively against Jews who tried to stand up to the thugs harassing them. Imagine if the Ku Klux Klan had entered a predominately African-American neighborhood in New York, would the police have facilitated racial discrimination and detained the residents who actually live there who dared stand to oppose it? This was the NYPD taking sides and siding with the mindset that took down the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001. This was a sick display of hate and promotion of genocide of the Jews that should not be tolerated in America. This was "globalize the Intifada" in action. Jews and decent people of any faith (or no faith, if they are simply not Jew-haters) must demand that authorities protect residents of areas under assault rather than troublemakers who come from the outside to carry out an attack. 

Is Speech Free?

In Europe, the People have nothing like the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and are not really free to speak their minds. Germany is jailing folks for posts on the web, and the United Kingdom is holding Tommy Robinson as a political prisoner. Katie Hopkins has been made a non-person and almost destitute by Britain because she told the truth. With Trump back in office, you are able to speak your piece, but Americans were not able to do so under the Biden regime. You are only truly free when you are permitted to say what you want without fear of sanction by government. 

A Different Breed

In recent times, American Presidents have not been permitted to drive themselves by the Secret Service. Not only did Trump take the wheel, but he took it on a race track! Not only is the President leading our nation but he was using his heavily armored "Beast" as the Daytona pace car. 

Did Not Disappoint

The Auburn tussle against Alabama lived up to the hype. Nate Oats has taken the Tide to heights heretofore unseen with his brilliant concepts. He has recruited great athletes who play to the style, and they fight hard. Bruce Pearl at Auburn is the best special situation coach I have seen. His in-bounds plays are unstoppable. Pearl is fantastic at in-game adjustments. The rivals fought like champions with all the odds to Alabama's favor. The Tide was playing at home before fanatic supporters. They managed to foul out two significant Auburn contributors (Dylan Cardwell and Chad Baker-Mazara), and Johni Broome, the best collegiate player in the nation, re-injured his ankle taking him out in crucial moments of the game and slowing him down when he re-entered the contest. Yet, with all that adversity, Auburn found a way to win. These are national championship caliber teams. 

The Alabama Battle

An event will happen today that has never occurred before, number one in the nation takes on the second-ranked team, both representing Forrest Gump's home state. Of course, Gump is fiction but first-ranked Auburn is real as rain, as is current number two Alabama, and not in football either. We are talking round ball here and though each team has football national titles, neither has ever won one on the hardwood, but that could change this season. If you enjoy basketball, this is a game you will love. 

Made the Trade

The Lakers went from being a team that might struggle to make the playoffs to a title contender with a spectacular transaction. Luka Doncic should improve Los Angeles considerably, but even after the trade, lowly Utah beat the superstars. The Lakers may end up winning the championship with two of the best players leading the way, but they will have to earn it. 

To the Right

Every time a so-called "asylum seeker" attacks his hosts, it gains votes for so-called "far-right" political parties. The Afghan terrorist in Germany may have just secured victory for AfD. Amazingly enough, Germans do not want to be run down by vehicles or stabbed in the back for walking in a park or going to a Christmas market.  

To The Mat

DemocRATS are all hands on deck not to protect the American People, but to safeguard waste, graft, and inefficiency. Not to protect citizens from that bill of horribles, but to vouchsafe the corruption itself. The Swamp wants to forever enshrine their trough and keep Trump and Musk from paring back all the spending that exploits the taxpayer. Bless Team Trump in their effort to save the United States. 

The "Terrified" Invaders

The Vatican has claimed "immigrants" are "terrified" in America. I would counter that those who arrived by legal means have nothing to fear, but if you are here illegally, you should worry. If you breached our border, you are a criminal alien and need to leave. 

Another Super Bore

I am glad Philadelphia won but must say the game itself was not that entertaining. It was not a competitive contest when it mattered, with Kansas City scoring two of their touchdowns only after the Eagles had inserted all their substitutes while the Chiefs keft their starters in to try to make the score more respectable. Many viewers wished they had earplugs for the Kendrick Lamar halftime horror. I would have enjoyed an old movie more than the "Big Game". 

Maybe Dan Marino

Who is the best professional football player to never win a Super Bowl? For my money, it is Dan Marino who ignited the Dolphins offense with his quick release of passes and uncanny accuracy. Just in throwing mechanics, the former Pitt Panther star has to rank at the top. No, he did not have much mobility, particularly as his career wound down, after numerous injuries, but man, he could throw. For fans of the mobile quarterback, Fran Tarkenton has to claim that unwanted honor. At least, the scrambler extraordinaire made it to the biggest game multiple times, but never quite grabbed the ring. I am sure either great would have gladly traded some of their formidable stats for a championship. 

The Dangerous High

Using narcotics is a risky proposition. Now, apparently, simply flying in an airplane carries dangers that heretofore seemed a relic of the early age of aviation. I am NOT a comfortable flier because two of my uncles, both at the time married to my Aunt Redi, died in separate plane events, Uncle Ned died in a B-24, and the Germans had everything to do with that, and Uncle Mike, when the plane he was piloting crashed in Hershey, Pennsylvania. So, I have rarely flown and only when it was absolutely necessary. With three air disasters in not quite three weeks, I am even less likely to board an airliner. 

Not Flying Soon

Yet another plane has gone down in America. This time it is a Cessna reported to be carrying ten off Alaska. I do not think I will be buying an airline ticket until the glitches in the system are fixed. 

Peace Through Carnage

Decades back, I watched a series about a Zulu king on Nashville Public Television. One statement by this warrior leader stuck with me. He reputedly said, "never leave an enemy behind alive". Israel never tried to implement this bloody notion in their war of defense in Gaza, but Trump has endorsed it in a foreign policy move nobody saw coming. The Romans put this strategy into effect against Carthage, and Carthage has not made trouble in a couple of thousand years. 

Such Revolutionary Thinking

Donald Trump wants the United States to take Gaza. I think he really means it, but even if he does implement his radical notion, what happens after Trump leaves the Presidency? If America has not fully ethnically-cleansed Gaza of the Gazans by then, does the project end or will the next leader continue to radically transform the face of the Middle East? You see the people now residing in Gaza have had their minds poisoned for generations by Islamo-Nazi Jew hate. Also, no other country really wants the Palestinians because they brought ruin to Lebanon, Jordan, and Kuwait when they welcomed the so-called refugees. Who wants to take in an angry swarm of murderous hornets, who have damaged every place they have been? I am all for Trump's plan for peace, but I also realize it will likely NEVER be completed. 

A Hideous Headline

MSNBC reported that Donald Trump "folded on tariffs". Nothing could be further from the truth when both Mexico and Canada bent to Trump's will and agreed to make their borders more secure to slow the flow of Fentanyl into America. This is not folding but victory!

A Trade War

President Trump has imposed tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and to a lesser extent, Red China. The United States can live comfortably without the goods of our neighboring countries, but China produces so much of what we need, from consumer goods to medicines. In spite of Beijing being our chief antagonist, America still needs what they make and probably will, even as Trump rushes to bring manufacturing back home because it is the (sometimes exclusive) source of what we require to survive for the foreseeable future. 

Gloating Over Tragedy

I see numerous folks on my Facebook feed posturing politically over recent air disasters and using them to indict President Trump and smear his supporters. These people are the bitterest bastards in America, upset that their socialist incompetents lost. What else would you expect though from a party that venerates death by pushing abortion and euthanasia? 

A Horrible Coincidence

The United States has rarely suffered from plane crashes over the last several decades, but then, had two in rapid succession. The second that occurred so close to the first has nothing to do with the Washington crash except time and proximity. Only a few days separated the disasters. Philadelphia is only about one hundred forty miles from the site of the first crash. It is terrible to sustain tragedy after tragedy, and clearly, America needs to make flying safe again. 

A Pure Meritocracy

I do not want an operation performed by anyone except the most competent. I would not want anyone but the best pilots guided by the most capable air traffic controllers flying my family. DEI has no place in society because it compromises safety and our very lives. 

Those Gloating Today

I have seen some online crowing that "no commercial plane crashes happened in America while Biden was President". Be that as it may, those contending this horrible event in Washington proved that Biden was actually competent, and now, it has been demonstrated, Trump is NOT should take long walks off short piers. Trump's team is not nearly fully in place, and his policies are just starting to be enacted. Those saying "maybe the air traffic controllers were worried about being laid off or wondering if they should take the buyout and could not fully focus on their jobs" should realize anyone doing that should never have held a responsible position in the first place. Trump is just beginning to repair or replace a very damaged system and must be given some time and grace to do what is needed. 

The Ratings Draw

If the Titans had Taylor Swift attending games in the town she grew up in and was involved romantically with a Tennessee player, there is a possibility that they would have been in the Super Bowl instead of Kansas City. It is amazing how many games a team wins if somehow they have all the close calls go their way. If the referees are for you, you are bound to win many contests. If controversial penalties go both ways, it is clearly random, but if they only redound to the benefit of a single franchise, it is rigged. 

Never a Doubt

Little girls and women who would never watch a football game now tune into Kansas City Chiefs contests to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift in the luxury box and see what she is wearing. The NFL would have to pay Swift many millions of dollars to perform at a halftime show to draw in those non-football fan eyes, but secures that same audience more or less at no cost by having her root for her "boyfriend" and having her presence widely publicized at the Big Game. Then, the network will be able to charge even more for ads that were exorbitant before Taylor started boosting the ratings. Was there ever a way that the League would not have dome everything possible to see KC back in the Super Bowl? 

The Trump Pax

Right now, there is much skepticism about and some resistance to Donald Trump. If you want to unify almost every American to support the returned President, do what some in Latin America are saying and seize US assets or even take Americans hostage to protest the hardball Trump is playing in order for you to take your criminals and lunatics back that you foisted on our country. The Chavista-types now being run by Maduro and his Fellow Travelers to the South ought to know America will kill you if you start to harm our interests or our people with Forty-seven in the White House. 

Some Revolutionary Thinking

Not every American President spouts off about taking Panama and Greenland. I had never heard any American leader speak of sending the Gazans to Egypt and Jordan. Trump is the opposite of a conventional thinker. With these recent ideas, some might even think Forty-seven is insane. 

Deal with Devil

Hamas is not and will never be "a partner for peace". It is instead an exterminationist force for terror that in its very charter calls on its adherents to kill every Jew. By dealing with these jihadists, Israel did not show any trust in a neighbor that might suggest future coexistence, but only the commitment of the Jewish State to "redeem the captive" as the Holy Book commands Jews to do. Netanyahu leads a nation and People of law and decency, while those he was forced to make an exchange with are the enemies of humanity. 

Wave of Future

Antioch High School in my hometown of Nashville had eschewed conventional metal detectors in favor of cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence to keep out weapons. It failed miserably. The technology may be there at some point, but it certainly is not ready yet. Old equipment at entry points may have saved lives, but Metro schools want to be early adopters of the next best thing. 

Nashville School Shooting

Another senseless murder has taken place in a school in my hometown, wherein a seventeen year old boy killed a sixteen year old girl he apparently did not even know and wounded two other people before turning the gun on himself. A manifesto he purportedly wrote is circulating online, and he was reportedly a devotee of Candace Owens and a Jew-hater. That being said, his motivation for the attack was his own, and Owens should not be blamed for it. 

Really Means It!

When Trump said he would "drain the swamp", he was not kidding. Have you ever seen anyone achieve more in such a short time as Forty-seven already has? He is eradicating evil before our very eyes. 

Least Worthy Champion

There were a number of national title winners in college football with unblemished seasons. You certainly can't say that about Ohio State who could not even defeat their arch-rival Michigan, which was having a decidedly down year. Not to mention that the Buckeyes lost to another conference member earlier in the season. This is a tarnished champion that probably could not beat the Wolverines if they played next week. 

An American Resurgence?

Will today mark a new "Era of Good Feeling"? There is reason for hope as we watch the second inauguration of Donald Trump. He is NOT a fool or senile, as some might characterize his immediate predecessor. Trump is not the Messiah either though, and I am beyond disturbed that he has just pitched his own brand of cryptocurrency along with a separate one his wife is plugging, and he is selling Trump label Swiss-made watches. Some would say the New York developer has been a scammer all along, with his worthless but costly Trump University scheme. I am not an empty-headed optimist but a realist, who says, "we shall see". 

Chinese Brain Washers

There is little virtue in TikTok. The Red Chinese have used it to stupefy our children and are keeping the data of users, perhaps to blackmail them in the future. Trump is going to restore the platform, but I do not know how that advances safety in the United States. 

Those Most Upset

Males who could not triumph in athletic endeavors competing against men really hate Trump's resurgence. They will not be able to pretend to be women much longer to enjoy success in sports. Those profiting from the sexual mutilation of children are frightened by Trump's rise. Folks who love the Ukraine above all else are disheartened that Trump rose like a phoenix. The ones most put off by Trump reclaiming the Presidency are the pro-baby killing abortion crowd. Finally, Americans who seek to impose Marxism here really despise Forty-seven because they know they will be thwarted during his administration. Greatness is sometimes measured by who opposes it, and in the instance of Trump, it is a badge of honor to have such loathsome foes. 

Israel Stands Alone

Some, including this author, thought (and certainly hoped) that Trump would "have Israel's back". In the first instance, where America backing the Jewish State against the terrorists who seek to exterminate the Jews has been tested, the incoming President simply continued Biden policy with pressure exerted on Israel to surrender to the demands of Hamas. This is disappointing to say the least. Netanyahu and the IDF are the only ones keeping Iran and their many jihadist proxies from realizing their fevered dream of erasing Israel. Trump will likely ultimately be better for Jews than Biden was but that certainly has not manifested yet. 

Such Sweet Sorrow

Biden delivered his farewell address last night. Joe showed himself to be a fantasist. What he described bore little or no resemblance to the America he has mismanaged for four years. The good news is a few days from now Biden will not remember what he said or what his failures have done to Americans. He has no idea what has been done in his now sullied named. 

The Trump Nominees

The United States Senate is comprised of sensible patriots, but only from one political party. The DemocRATS disgraced themselves and sullied the institution with their calumny launched at Pete Hegseth. Their gratuitous obnoxiousness is nothing new. We witnessed it before with their smears of Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh before they both were ultimately confirmed to join the Supreme Court. The DemocRATS conducting their inquisition are so shrill that the process is farcical. The Senate must give Trump his Cabinet as soon as possible, so that he may right our nation, regardless of the theatrics of the histrionic DemocRATS.

Forcing Israel's Hand

The Biden regime on its last legs in the final days is exerting enormous and unprecedented pressure on Israel to surrender in the Jewish State's war of self-defense for national survival. Secretary of State Blinken is the hatchet man threatening to immediately cut off all aid and abandon Netanyahu to the tender mercies of the multilateral bodies that hate Jews if Israel does not give away the store to facilitate the return of 33 "hostages", some of whom are already known to be dead. So with just a few days until the Trump cavalry arrives to change the direction of US policy to the favor of the Western-style democracy that was attacked, Netanyahu is being forced to swallow a loss that permits Hamas to survive, releases terrorists murderers with blood on their hands, and leaves the Philadelphi Crossing between Egypt and Gaza unguarded so that the terrorists are able to be resupplied and replenish their ranks of suicide soldiers. I only pray the fanatics in Gaza refuse the deal so that the IDF can finish them off where none are left to threaten innocents again. 

The Blame Shifters

The so-called political "leaders" in California know very little about preventing or fighting fires but are very skilled at avoiding responsibility for their incompetence. There have been failures at many levels, but evidently, the buck does not stop with anyone anywhere near Los Angeles. Gavin Newsom looks like a matinee idol as he pretends to be talking to Biden on his cell phone about defeating the flames. What a performance- the Governor deserves an Oscar- or a Razzy at least. And the Mayor, she runs from questions so fast, there could well be a place for her in the Senior Olympics. The two questions I have are: 1.)How could sane people out there have voted for such buffoons? And 2.)Will anyone be held to account for criminally negligent behavior in the run up to this tragedy that was mostly if not entirely preventable? 

Of Biblical Proportions

The destruction in certain areas of Los Angeles is so extensive that it looks like it was carpet bombed. Virtually every structure in some places is burned down. It seems like the wrath of the Lord has been summoned. The devastation is so complete that it looks as if someone might be reduced to a pillar of salt. It is no act of God though but blatant incompetence on the part of city and state leadership that exacerbated the losses. 

City Belt Tightening

Los Angeles saved more than seventeen million dollars at the front end by cutting the fire department budget only to lose one hundred and fifty billion dollars at the back end in California's most costly blaze so far. More importantly, to this point, the inferno has killed at least ten people, and before this firestorm erupted, Mayor Bass proposed cutting forty-nine million dollars more from the firefighters. A better idea that the suicidal reductions to public safety might be to recall one blatantly incompetent mayor. 

Climate Change Failure

All those efforts to combat global warming by trying to force folks into electrical vehicles that are not practical to their needs, that they can't afford, or simply don't want did less to "help the environment" than the damage the wildfires in California have brought on with environmental destruction no government mandate will ever be able to counter. Forcing people away from natural gas does not undo the catastrophic damage from a single wind-driven firestorm. The compelled "choice" imposed on citizens by government has imposed cost, denied freedom, and done nothing lastingly positive for Americans. 

Sadly Predictable Outcome

The wildfires devastating the Los Angeles area may be a natural phenomena (unless they prove to be caused by arson or some type of fault in electric transmission lines), but the amount of loss has been magnified by gross negligence in failing to perform sufficient management of forests and overgrowth. The current Mayor of that city also cut over seventeen million dollars from the Fire Department budget, a foolish move in a city so often subjected to wind-driven massive infernos. So the City of the Angels has not just fallen prey to flames but to the leadership of incompetent Leftists. 

Is California Cursed?

Nobody disputes the physical beauty of the Golden State. From the mountains to the Pacific, California offers spectacular views. Even the desert offers a certain (dangerous) charm, but for all the scenery and vast resources, the most populous state may still be cursed. What other state has so many earthquakes? Where else do you see such destructive wildfires with such frequency? What other state has a homeless population so huge? Yes, California is a marvel in some ways, but in other aspects, it is undeniably plagued. 

Value for Money

The residents of Davidson County have already subsidized the Tennessee Titans through our municipal water bills. Nashvillians should receive discounted personal seat licenses and tickets from the franchise we have already had our money confiscated for every time we turn on our taps. Of course, you have to be rooting for the away team or a masochist to go see the woeful Titans at Nissan Stadium anyway. That one home regular season victory is definitely worth a few thousand greenbacks. 

See the Upside

My hometown NFL team "earned" the first draft choice in the upcoming draft. The Tennessee Titans were the benchmark for futility this season in professional football. If losing fourteen of seventeen games this season is not a strong selling point for purchasing thousands of dollars worth of personal seat licenses, I do not know what is. When a team has not been competitive, it can only go up from there, unless of course, the team is just as bad going forward, or possibly even worse (Could the Titans go O-17?). You want to commit big bucks to be at the new stadium in person, don't you? 

Heed the Warnings

If your location is under a winter storm advisory, do not leave the safety of your house unless absolutely necessary. When I was in college, I did not live on campus but drove to class. We had an ice storm warning, but I had exams and was determined not to miss them. On my drive to school, at a stop light, I attempted to brake on black ice I could not see, and my four-wheel drive Jeep Wagoneer lost control and careened across five lanes and onto a median. It stopped just before I hit utility poles. I was amazingly lucky traffic was light, and my vehicle did not hit anyone. I was able to extricate the SUV from the little traffic island it landed on, arrived at campus, and found classes had been canceled due to the weather. I risked my life, health, and safety for NOTHING. Don't be as dumb as I was at eighteen. During this ice and snow, stay home! 

Even the Strong

Elite soldiers are just as vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder as ordinary troops, perhaps even more, with their high operational tempo and exposure to more combat than most service personnel. There needs to be ample resources allocated to these special forces types to ensure they have all the psychological support they require, and beyond routine after action reports, they should have evaluations of their mental state periodically to see if they would benefit from counseling, psychiatric treatment (where appropriate), and/or extended rest and relaxation before sending potentially damaged fighters back to the fighting. 

Trip to Egypt

Those investigating the New Orleans massacre need to look into the assailant's reported recent visit to Egypt. He may not have been directed to attack, but obviously, he was not dissuaded. It is possible that he was not inspired by interaction abroad to act against his fellow Americans during his sojourn but that must be ascertained through investigation of the attacker's travels. 

Domestic Terror Strikes

An American citizen, even a military veteran, might be persuaded by some foreign entity to stage an attack against his fellow Americans. This seems to be the case in New Orleans, where a turncoat murdered folks he did not even know, in service of world jihad. The local authorities could have made better preparation to stave off such an event, but failed to do enough to block vehicle traffic, permitting a traitor and fanatic to launch his killing spree. Not every terrorist assault can be prevented, but with proper defensive techniques, their evil attempts might be thwarted or the damage at least mitigated. 

Somehow Not Terrorism

A vehicle ramming pedestrians took place in New Orleans. At least ten are dead so far, and more than thirty injured, but  the female lead FBI investigator already declared the assault was "NOT" terrorism. As of 8:15 Central Time (just now as I compose this), she was just contradicted by her superiors who say the slaughter was actually a terrorist event. By the nature of the event, it seemed immediately obvious that it was indeed terror.