Hope Not Fear

For the first time in four years, I am not filled with trepidation but optimism. I know our liberty is about to be protected rather than diminished, except perhaps your imagined "right to abortion". No, Trump will not facilitate the slaughter of the unborn, but he will protect the actual freedom that made America. We will not have to worry for a Presidential term about the imposition of socialism or the creep of Marxism overwhelming the Founding Values and destroying our capitalism-based prosperity. Kamala Harris would have eroded what made us great. Trump will enhance our futures. 

No Longer Worst

Jimmy Carter owed Joe Biden a debt of gratitude. I never thought I would see a more pitiful President in my lifetime than the Georgia peanut farmer but found the Delaware delinquent surpassed the failed legacy of Carter in just one term. Carter is no longer the lousiest President of the last half century but a bad second to the dementia patient in D.C. 

Colorado Mostly Hype

The sports press sure like to talk up University of Colorado football, right up to giving the Buffaloes another Heisman in the season the Boise State running back should have won it. On the field though, BYU just handed the Sanders's squad their heads. 

Matter of Expectations

For many reams, a nine win versus three loss regular season would be amazing. Being able to compete in a bowl against another traditional powerhouse program would be fantastic. For the Alabama team, this season is a disappointment, and will only be marginally better if the Tide defeats Michigan which is also having a substandard year, considering 2024 started with a national championship. If the SEC giant drops the game to the Wolverines, look for pressure to mount to fire the coach. There is no "grace period" in Tuscaloosa, and not being in the playoff for the title is considered a lousy outcome. Many teams would consider a 9 and 4 season an accomplishment, but for the program Bear Bryant built and Saban sanctified, this would be a woeful debut by a coach who will not be there shortly. 

No Longer Capable?

The Red Chinese don't think the United States has any say anymore in Panama, They believe Beijing now dominates and controls the country that America created. China laughs at the Monroe Doctrine as they exert hegemony over Asia and the Pacific. Come January 20, a new sheriff will be in town, and we will see who has the last laugh. 

Americans Should Know!

Donald Trump was not impeached (twice) because he was corrupt but because he wasn't! The Deep State is a self-replicating virus that protects and perpetuates itself and sees Trump as a mortal threat. 

A Christmas Miracle?

That anyone survived the horrible plane crash in Kazakhstan is beyond amazing. That was not a controlled descent but an absolute crash, the type of which usually leaves no survivors. 

Time for Change

The Republican leadership in America's House and Senate have been about as wretched as could be imagined. Paul Ryan was a turncoat. Kevin McCarthy had no backbone. Speaker Johnson is two-faced. McConnell in the Senate has been an abomination. For the Trump agenda to move forward, the GOP needs new blood to move it forward in Congress. 

Still America's Team

The Dallas Cowboys have a bloated payroll but that is because Jerry Jones really wants to win. He did not this season, having already been eliminated from the playoffs, but his squad never quit. Were they beset with injuries? Yes, absolutely but every member of the team and coaching staff kept fighting, even after they knew they could not be in the playoffs. They are well-coached despite the losses, and they kept competing, and that will pay off in future seasons. 

Not Well Prepared

My home state Tennessee Volunteer football team did NOT distinguish itself last night. They were playing a good but beatable Ohio State squad in Columbus (for some reason) that had lost their last home contest to rival Michigan. The Buckeyes kicked the Vols all over the field. Injuries, no doubt, were a factor for UT, but I had hoped for better in a game with such high stakes. The older you get, the harder it is to say "just wait for next season". 1998 seems a long way back, and I am not sure I will live to see the Big Orange reach the pinnacle again. 

An Irredeemable Congress

The most important thing to America's miserable national legislature is not peace. It is not prosperity. It is not freedom for the United States or across the globe. It is that the legislators settle their business so that they can get home for the holidays. Millions of American troops have been deployed far from the homeland through the generations and were unable to make it home for Christmas, and many thousands never made it back at all. Think of the willing sacrifice of US service personnel, then compare that to the selfishness of many of our Representatives and Senators.  

Against the World

It is no surprise that some politicians attempt to monopolize power. Many in the US House of Representatives want all authority to spring forth only from them, and certainly not from the President (and especially not from the President-in-waiting). These particular Congress people do not consider you their constituent but more their servant, beholden for their pay and to vote them back in every two years. These were the ones really pushing the Continuing Resolution. 

Continue the Continuing?

The worst event on earth would not be a nuclear war or an invasion of human-devouring space aliens. It would be a Federal government shutdown in the United States. That would be the only real unrecoverable catastrophe. Actually, if the government did actually shut down, I imagine we all would survive. What the real crisis happens to be is the Continuing Resolution that would make Congress beyond external scrutiny and give all those wonderful, capable Representatives huge raises, and everyone agrees they have done such a good job. The Continuing Resolution is an affront to the American People and a disgrace. The Republicans in Congress must not stop Trump from saving America! 

North Koreans Slaughtered

How will the Supreme Leader explain to his people why their sons are dying in Ukraine? He will not even attempt to because he forces his enslaved populace to revere him as Divine. It is an officially atheist society, but the object of compelled worship is the dictator. A free person can question the Lord, but in Pyongyang, you dare not ask Kim Jong-un anything. 

Seventeen Game Season?

For dominant teams, the extension of the season by one game seems fine. Their fans have another opportunity to root them on to victory (hopefully). For teams that are merely competitive, their supporters have the suspense of an additional contest, but for teams like my home town Titans, the season can't end soon enough. Sixteen games are already too much if your team hardly ever wins any of them. 

The Titan Collapse

The Tennessee professional football team should replace the head coach because you can't realistically fire all the players. Their performance was abysmal Sunday hosting Cincinnati, and there were as many Bengal fans in attendance as home team supporters. Show me one aspect of improvement for the team this season. 

Never Say "Die"

This season's Tennessee Volunteer men's basketball team seems different. Many past squads looked spectacular, but when push came to shove, they just could not get it done. Last night at Illinois, playing a tough physical opponent (and their pet refs), the Vols somehow managed to still prevail after their two best players were fouled out. Former teams even under Coach Barnes had not been able to win under such dire circumstances, but this squad has the guts of a champion! 

No Air Force?

Where is the United States Air Force to intercept what are presumed to be large drones of uncertain origin popping up around the United States? This question must be answered, unless of course the drones are from some covert program within the American government and are being permitted to fly because they are part of our national defense. 

Other Foreign Power?

A Defense Department spokesperson assured Americans that what is being seen over New Jersey are not "Iranian drones". Did you note that our government did not declare absolutely that the objects being spotted now are not from a foreign source? The denial was not a blanket assurance but only limited to the drones not being from a mother ship sent by Iran. 

Syria's New Leader

The up and coming dictator of Syria who just replaced Assad, the despot of long-standing who fled the country, has copious amounts of American blood on his hands. The fact that the new great leader has (or perhaps "had") a ten million dollar reward on his head placed there by American authorities, did not stop the state Department from recognizing him as the legitimate head of Syria. I just love the way the Biden regime so easily casts off all decency in service of ridding all the moral underpinnings that heretofore kept order in the world. 

Iran in Retreat

The Islamic Republic is withdrawing its thugs from Syria. At the same time, Israel is vanquishing Iran's Hezbollah proxy in Lebanon. We had best remember though that a vicious animal is never more dangerous than when it is cornered, and the Mullah Regime has never felt more threatened than right now. 

Future for Syria

Syria has had bleak prospects for years, and it remains to be seen if the fall of Assad brightens that. Between the chances of an enlightened democracy or even a state that tolerates more than one strain of faith and a Sunni dystopia, the Middle East does not often spawn anything resembling a welcoming coexistence. My hope is this is what Syria becomes, but realistically, it has NO chance. 

Pity the Kurds

The Kurdish population of Syria may well be about to face an attempt at genocide by the Sunni butchers who have captured Damascus and their Turkish sponsor Erdogan. It is unlikely anyone will come to their aid. If they were near the Golan, the IDF would likely prevent them from being massacred, but most Kurds are unfortunately distant from where Israel could plausibly help them defend themselves. 

Edifices Are Falling

The Assad regime in Syria was under threat for more than a decade, but with the backing of Iran and Russia, seemed as permanent as death and taxes. Now, the Islamic Republic and Putin's playground are so weakened that they barely keep themselves in power and have been forced to cut loose their dictator friend in Damascus. The Deep State in America too is also under threat, but I fear even the mighty Trump can't bring it down. 

With Pants Down

On December 7, 1941, the United States was caught unaware and unprepared for what the Empire of Japan had been planning. There had been some speculation that Japan had intentions to respond to the pressure FDR was ratcheting up against Japanese aggression and conquest, and even an early radar sighting of the enemy flying in for the attack, but radar was a relatively new device and what was observed was discounted by higher ranks than the initial radar man and not passed on to the servicemen about to be attacked. Would a few minutes of extra warning prevented the massacre? Probably not entirely, but the defense would have been more vigorous and the casualties likely less. On September 11, 2001, America was again subjected to a surprise attack. Constant vigilance is required by our great nation. 

Prospects for DOGE

There is certainly plenty of fat that could be trimmed from the Federal Government. Even as I write, the cabal behind the Biden regime and the Deep State itself are placing obstacles up to the Department of Government Efficiency and entrenching themselves to keep Trump fro succeeding. You see, everyone from slackers who work for you but have not been in the office since COVID to certain Republican Senators, love the Swamp and hate the taxpayers. There may ultimately be some small cuts at the margins, but four years is likely not enough to drain the quagmire that enslaves Americans. 

A Brazen Murder

Would you want to visit New York City right now? You are not really allowed to defend yourself and your family there, and the authorities are not even protecting executives arriving for business meetings. 

Not Shaping Policy

In some Presidencies, the Cabinet is essential in governing the direction the nation will be headed. For Trump, the Cabinet will be for implementation of Forty-seven's own ideas and policy prescriptions. Do you see Trump deferring to anyone advising him over anything? 

Korea in Turmoil

South Korea has declared martial law. The leader has declared that North Korea has sympathizers within Seoul. Few doubt that there are Fifth Columnists there, but a cynic also realizes this crackdown will be a great way to remove opponents who have nothing to do with Pyongyang. 

Pardon Me Boy

To the surprise of almost nobody, corrupt and faded Joe pardoned his son and bag man Hunter Biden. I had thought senile Joe might resign in favor of Harris with the arrangement already made that Kamala would pardon all the criminal Bidens, but Alzheimer Joe could not wait apparently. The Bidens are a national disgrace and stain on the nation and world! 

Demon of Inflation

There is a restaurant chain in my home state of Tennessee that is somewhat similar to the more well-known White Castle that used to occasionally sell twenty square little burgers for one dollar even in my lifetime (fifty-eight years). When we drove past one of these eateries yesterday, Mom read the sign and said it was promoting "12 Krystals for just $14". I do not know if they were ever health food or even all that good, but they sure are not worth over a dollar apiece. From five cents a burger to one dollar and seventeen cents each is mighty testament to inflation run wild.