Smith ~ Weathering the Storm

This is what comes from “retiring” sooner than a man should. But truthfully, I must say I’m glad to be far and away removed from the madness of the corporate spinning and endless cycle of psychological bullshit aligned with all the politically correct programs that still persist in the corporate world today – that bullshit that ultimately led to the Woke movement and so many other detrimental and destructive programs across society, that which allowed the Transgendered Movement to grow to mammoth, militant proportions and tried to make the mutilation of children appear to be as ordinary as ordering a piece of apple pie at Mom’s Diner on 41A in Murfreesboro.

I know that in the grand scheme of things, no matter what anyone thinks of me, for better or worse. I am a man of little importance for the most part. And many people might question the reasons I write so prolifically on an entire array of topics, and to them, I say that it is to be certain there is an accounting of some sort left behind for whoever is to follow in this fight for the soul of America… Continue reading

Dickens: Christmas 2025 ~ What’s It All About, Ralphie?

My subtitle is an homage to the movie “A Christmas Story” based on a story by Jean Shepherd to set the tone for my commentary.

We watched this movie last night as part of our ritual viewings of our favorite seasonal movies. It’s based on the humorous writings of author Jean Shepherd; this beloved holiday movie follows the wintry exploits of youngster Ralphie Parker. It opens with a downtown scene about an Indiana town in the 1940s.

– “Downtown Hohman was prepared for its yearly bacchanalia of peace on Earth and goodwill to men.”

Higbee’s corner window was traditionally a high-water mark of the pre-Christmas season. (The kids crowd around the window, and we soon see inside.) First-nighters, packed earmuff to earmuff, jostled in wonderment before a golden, tinkling display of mechanized, electronic joy.”

Christmas’ meaning has changed drastically over my 74 years, altering my appreciation for this particular holiday as I read and learned to appreciate classic literature and film messages that try to interpret its true meaning. The culmination was my realization of its importance to mankind. Continue reading

The 1962 Mr. Magoo Christmas Carol Is a Lovely and Underrated Take on a Classic

The 1962 UPA production of Mr. Magoo’s A Christmas Carol is an unfairly overlooked Christmas classic. This animated 52-minute TV is presented as a Broadway theater extravaganza with songs, dances, and curtain calls, and it really does delve into the true meaning of Christmas.

Magoo, voiced by Jim Backus and created by Millard Kaufmann and John Hubley, is an extremely near-sighted man who stubbornly refuses to accept this reality, causing numerous comical situations that affect everyone around him. In this production, he is Ebenezer Scrooge. Other cast members include Jack Cassidy as Bob Cratchit and Royal Dano as Marley, along with Morey Amsterdam, Joan Gardner, and veteran voice actor Paul Frees.

                    Image created using AI based on the original illustration to A Christmas Carol.

The show-within-a-show is a brilliant twist on the novel, but modern viewers won’t get it. That’s because many scenes have been cropped or deleted entirely. The deleted original begins with Magoo navigating through busy Manhattan traffic to the theatre, where he’s the star of the musical Christmas Carol. The deleted conclusion shows how Magoo, in trademark fashion, pulled a cord that collapsed all of the background sets. Typically, he emerges unscathed, leaving utter chaos in his wake. Continue reading

Whitehead ~ The Surveillance State Is Making a Naughty List — and You’re On It

“He sees you when you’re sleeping.
He knows when you’re awake.
He knows if you’ve been bad or good,
So be good for goodness’ sake.”
Santa Claus Is Coming to Town

For generations, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” has been treated as a playful reminder to children to be good because someone, somewhere, is watching.

Today, it reads less like a joke and more like a warning.

The Surveillance State is making a naughty list, and we’re all on it.

Long before Santa’s elves start loading his sleigh with toys for good girls and boys, the government’s surveillance apparatus is already at work – logging your movements, monitoring your messages, tracking your purchases, scanning your face, recording your license plate, and feeding it all into algorithmic systems designed to determine whether you belong on a government watchlist.

Unlike Santa’s naughty list, however, the consequences of landing on the government’s “naughty list” are far more severe than a stocking full of coal. They can include heightened surveillance, loss of privacy, travel restrictions, financial scrutiny, police encounters, or being flagged as a potential threat – often without notice, explanation, or recourse.

This is not fiction. This is not paranoia. Continue reading

Is Trump a Lame Duck?

And what does that even mean in today’s politics?

(Roman Genn)

It looked for a moment as if Henry Cuellar’s career might be over. The eleven-term congressman from Texas’s Rio Grande Valley had long fought to retain his seat in this overwhelmingly Hispanic region of the state, facing closer margins over the years as the Republicans gained traction among Latino voters during the worst of the Biden-era illegal-immigration crisis. The voters in Cuellar’s district had, for the first time in history, given their votes to a Republican — Donald Trump carried the district 53–46, in a straight reversal of Biden’s 2020 margin. Statewide Texas Republicans altered his district’s shape to make it slightly redder. And on top of it all, Cuellar was indicted in 2024 on twelve federal charges of bribery, conspiracy, and money-laundering. Would this be the end of the popular, but increasingly threatened, incumbent?

        Not quite yet… 

Continue reading

Smith ~ Liberty Must Be Chosen, Defended and Lived! Continued…

Trumpism embraces the best and the worst of two sides of the political aisle, in a frenetic fashion that sometimes supports and defends freedom and liberty while trampling both at other times. It is a pitchfork populism that isn’t really making the reforms to government necessary to take the American people along a path to truly living free, and instead, it is bringing closer to fruition the very thing that so many liberty minded Americans reject – a massive surveillance police state that is on track to remain and grow as an ever more mammoth and intrusive Big Brother/Nanny State, as President Trump cannot seem to divest himself of his statist and globalist inclinations.

In the twilight of the American century, a profound question looms: How can the United States unwind its vast imperial commitments without descending into economic ruin, social dependency, or authoritarian control? The nation’s Founding Fathers envisioned a republic of free individuals, bound by limited government and inalienable rights derived from a higher moral order. Yet, over two centuries, America has morphed into a global hegemon, with a sprawling federal apparatus that often tramples those very principles. From endless foreign entanglements to domestic overreach – exemplified by agencies like the TSA detaining citizens without cause and demanding access to personal devices – the drift toward centralized power has eroded liberty. Continue reading

Yes, Ilhan Omar Married Her Brother

President Donald Trump is an occasional practitioner of an unsparing form of political logic. Having taken an interest in the massive public-programs fraud committed by an almost exclusively Somali cast of perpetrators in Minnesota, he has followed up with unfriendly comments on Minnesota fifth district Rep. Ilhan Omar (D.). “She comes in, does nothing but bitch, she’s always complaining,” the president told a crowd in Mount Pocono, Penn., on Tuesday. “We oughta get her the hell out. She married her brother in order to get in, right? She married her brother. Can you imagine if Donald Trump married his sister?Continue reading

Parents’ Fury Over School District Teaching Nine Genders and 30 Sexual Orientations for Kids

San Diego Unified School District is under fire for its LGBTQIA+ curriculum which teaches there are nine genders and 30 sexualities

A San Diego school district is under fire for providing a curriculum that teaches young students about nine genders and 30 sexual orientations.

Parents have objected to a slideshow featured on the San Diego Unified Schools (SDUS) website entitled ‘LGBTQIA+ Terms you should know‘.

The resources outlined definitions for nine gender identities including transgender, non-binary, genderfluid and agender. Continue reading

The Mafia Presidency

Trump is saying, essentially, “If you don’t want to get hurt, you’ll do what I say“.

Illustration by Paul Spella

The Sunday before the New York City mayoral race, President Donald Trump told New Yorkers he might withhold federal funding if Zohran Mamdani won.

“It’s gonna be hard for me as the president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, all you’re doing is wasting the money you’re sending there,” Trump told CBS’s 60 Minutes. Continue reading

Minick: Self-Governance Is the Bedrock of Liberty

Those who refuse to govern themselves will be governed by others.

This is one of the takeaway lessons from the recent elections, particularly in New York City.

There a young and inexperienced pro-Islamist and democratic socialist won the mayoral election in part by promising voters goodies like free bus transportation, free childcare, some government grocery stores, and heavier taxes on the rich.

Unable or unwilling to take care of themselves, Zohran Mamdani’s supporters have fallen prey to one of the oldest tricks in the book, dating all the way back to Ancient Rome’s bread and circuses for the masses: They have surrendered liberty and self-reliance for a mess of pottage. Such ignorance of the past, or worse, such willed stupidity, strips away freedom and empowers would-be dictators. Continue reading

Smith: Liberty Must Be Chosen, Defended and Lived!

America cannot remain on its current trajectory forever, pushing constantly for more growth and more spending as our so-called “leaders” unchain the federal government from any and all real restraint, violating the Constitution even as they put on a good front – talking points and all – of trying to reduce spending and the size of the federal government. They may end one agency, but two more spring up, and although many often refer to our Congress as “the Swamp”, nothing has become more apparent than the fact it’s one big, nasty Sewer that leaves everything it touches covered in political bullshit far and away from anything the people truly ever asked to receive or even wanted.

America was born in defiance. The Revolution was not polite debate in drawing rooms; it was muskets fired at redcoats, pamphlets smuggled through towns, and men willing to risk the gallows for liberty. Thomas Paine captured the spirit when he wrote of the “summer soldier and sunshine patriot” – those who shrink from the hard work of freedom, waiting to reap the rewards after others have bled. Continue reading

December 16, 2025: The Sh*t Continues to Hit the Fan!

Trump Asked to Be More Civil With Media That Deserves His Mockery
I think it’s fine to wish for a president to set the tone of civility. But the Bushes and Romneys did that and they were still compared to Hitler and slaveholders and what not.

People magazine and former Washington Post reporter Paul Farhi have made separate lists of insults President Donald Trump has recently lobbed at female reporters. It doesn’t matter how the journalists behaved because apparently, women can’t possibly be ill-mannered in press conferences. Or they think you can’t possibly be as rude as Trump.

I think it’s fine to wish for a president to set the tone of civility. But the Bushes and Romneys did that and they were still compared to Hitler and slaveholders and what not… (Continue to full article)

Trump Confronts His Political Reality ~ A Dawning Realization

The president has entered the lame-duck era of his career.

A force is pulling on Donald Trump that is even more inexorable than the march of time: political mortality.

Sometimes scandal or ineffectiveness is what fells a politician; if they survive those, term limits may get them anyway. But not even the most fearsome and durable leader escapes the eventual decay of their power. The towering Lyndon B. Johnson was forced to drop out of the 1968 presidential race, facing a tough Democratic primary; Margaret Thatcher’s powerful reign ended with a Conservative mutiny; Mitch McConnell, once the wily master of the Senate, now finds himself an ostracized backbencher.

Trump may have imagined he was immune. If so, he wasn’t alone. The rules of political gravity, journalists have often declared, sometimes seem not to apply to him… (Continue to full article)

Trump Is the ‘Biggest Security Threat‘ Facing America
Nobel laureate and professor of economics Paul Krugman is condemning President Donald Trump as “the biggest security threat facing the U.S. and, indeed, all the world’s democracies.”

“According to Donald Trump,” Krugman wrote on Substack, “anything he doesn’t like is a threat to national security. Question his clearly illegal tariffs? You’re a dark and sinister force trying to undermine America. When the New York Times reported on signs that age may be taking a toll on Trump’s stamina, he denounced the reporting as ‘seditious, maybe even treasonous.’”

Krugman charged that “Trump’s foreign policy is not about securing the safety and well-being of the United States” and lambasted the “betrayal of America’s security interests.”

“Trump doesn’t care at all about national security,” Krugman declared, “or for that matter America’s national interests. Instead, it’s all about him… (Continue to full article)

Marjorie Taylor Greene Wildly Plotting to Oust Mike Johnson on Her Way Out of Congress
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) is reportedly testing support for a last-ditch effort to remove House Speaker Mike Johnson, with barely weeks left in office.

Greene has been quietly sounding out colleagues about backing a motion to vacate the chair, multiple anonymous sources familiar with her efforts told MS NOW.

Under new House rules, nine Republicans would be needed to force such a vote, a threshold designed to prevent a repeat of the Kevin McCarthy implosion that paralyzed the chamber two years ago.

“Marjorie is approaching members to get to nine who will oust the speaker… (Continue to full article)

Republican House Leader Signals Plan to Begin Contempt Proceedings Against Bill and Hillary Clinton
Former President Clinton appeared in a tranche of photos from the Epstein estate released Friday

GOP House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said he plans to commence contempt of Congress proceedings against Bill and Hillary Clinton for ignoring the committee’s subpoenas related to its ongoing probe into the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

In July, a bipartisan House Oversight Subcommittee approved motions to subpoena Bill and Hillary Clinton and a slew of other high-profile political figures to aid its investigation looking into how the federal government handled Epstein’s sex trafficking

Painting of Clinton in blue dress hung in Jeffrey Epstein’s home | The Times of Israel

The subpoenas were then sent out in early August, and the Clinton’s were scheduled to testify Dec. 17-18… (Continue to full article)

What the Hell Is Wrong with a Country That Makes a Widow Defend Herself for Living?
“I’ve had paper cuts that took longer to heal than Erika Kirk.”

You may have seen this comment on X in recent days. And yes, by the author of a book titled, If God Is Love, Don’t be a Jerk. I’ve also read that she’s “hawking her dead husband’s book.” And that’s far from the worst of what’s out there.

Erika Kirk is not just grieving the extremely public murder of her husband for herself and their children, but for all of the young people who were invested in his life and hurt by his death. She clearly feels a sense of responsibility to not just his audience — his “fans” for lack of a better way to put it — but to the people who hate him and his legacy or what they think he and his legacy stand for…. (Continue to full article)

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz welcomes more Somalis into state despite massive, growing scandals
Minnesota’s scandal-ridden Democrat Gov. Tim Walz spoke in defense of his state’s Somali community at a recent fundraiser, even though members of that community have recently bilked North Star State taxpayers out of more than a billion dollars through various fraud schemes.

According to the Washington Free Beacon, Tampon Tim stated: “We are going to defend our neighbors. Instead of demonizing our Somali community, we’re going to do more to welcome more in.”

That’s the ticket!

Some 89% of Somali families with children are on welfare, courtesy of Land of Lakes residents…. (Continue to full article)

Tulsi Gabbard warns of ‘direct threat’ from suspected terrorists now living in United States
Intelligence director blames Biden administration for allegedly allowing 18,000 known or suspected terrorists into country

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard issued a warning about suspected terrorists inside the United States, blaming the Biden administration for what she called a “direct threat” to the lives of the American people.

The National Counterterrorism Center says about 18,000 known or suspected terrorists were allowed into the country under the previous administration. Gabbard said her greatest concern about the influx is that there are “so many more that we are not aware of yet.”

“The Biden administration did not take their vetting responsibilities seriously,” Gabbard said on “Saturday in America.”… (Continue to full article)

Ho Ho, Ho Mutha Phugga!

Garrison: Presenting the Traditional Christmas Gift Guide

Need a few gift ideas before Christmas rolls around? GrrrGraphics is happy to help with your Christmas shopping needs. For 2025, you can’t go wrong with these suggestions!

• It’s Trump Time: Everyone has seen the new Trump watch commercials recently. Well, now there is a special edition offered exclusively by GrrrGraphics, “It’s Deport Time!” Because no matter what time it is in America, it’s always ‘Deport Time.’

• For those who crave attention and want help, the “Jasmine Crockett Wig and Eyelash Set,” which will make you help you achieve that crazy ‘look at me’ style used by Texas wanna-be Senator Crockett. Continue reading

Holmquist: The Christmas Film You’ve Never Heard of With a Perfect Message for Our Time!

This time of year, everyone – myself included – airs out their favorite Christmas movies, talking about the wholesomeness and meaning and warm fuzzies they bring each time they’re watched. Topping the list are films such as “Home Alone,” “A Christmas Story,” “It’s a Wonderful Life,” and even “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

One of my favorite Christmas films, however, never makes this list of classics. I suppose that’s not surprising. In fact, most people might say that except for a few scenes at the end of the film, it’s not even a Christmas film at all.

That’s technically true … that is, if one only looks at the surface. Beneath the surface, however, runs the entire message of Christmas – and that’s a message we could especially use this year. Continue reading

Hickman ~ 2025: The Year Energy Sanity Returned

When Robert Oppenheimer watched the first atomic bomb detonate in the New Mexico desert on July 16, 1945, the blast confirmed that America had won the race to build a nuclear weapon.

The destructive power of these weapons was extraordinary; the explosion from Oppenheimer’s “Trinity” test unleashed an astonishing 83.7 Terajoules (TJ) of energy from just SIX kilograms of Plutonium-239.

By comparison, a typical power plant in 1945 would have required 9.5 MILLION kilograms of coal to produce a similar amount of energy. Continue reading

Smith ~ The War of Our Youth: Leaving the Inferno and Crucible of War

Celebrating Christmas during the Vietnam War

There are sons of heroes, gaunt and grim, Who weathered the lean Depression; Their manhood forged on the anvil’s rim, In war’s infernal session. The youth of their day was a righteous flame, Survival, victory, freedom its name; They carried the torch through the smoke and fire, And built the bones of an age entire.

We were babes of the booming years, Fed on promise and plenty; GI Bills and Mickey Mouse cheers, And sitcoms bright and zany. John Wayne, Cooper, Reagan, and Jack, Echoes of battles that never looked back; Purple Hearts and Silver Stars shone, Citizen Soldiers – our fathers’ own.

The limb grew straight from the sturdy tree, The fruit fell close, as fate decreed; Camelot whispered its majesty, And teenage powers knew no need. We were bulletproof, five hundred pounds, Our courage blind, our ideals sound; Led by the Whiz Kids, bright and best, We marched with fervor, hearts possessed. Continue reading

Stoller: A Bipartisan Reform Proposal to Restore American Self-Government

Here is my proposal to save this country!

~ Introduction ~

For generations, Americans have believed in a simple promise: that our government is of the people, by the people, and for the people. But today, citizens across the political spectrum feel that this promise has been broken. Both conservatives and progressives agree on one thing: the system is no longer responding to the will of the people.

Our politics are dominated by special interests, corporate money, lobbyists, and entrenched politicians who remain in power for decades. The average voter has been pushed to the sidelines while billion-dollar industries shape our laws, our regulations, and ultimately, our lives.

Reclaiming our country does not require choosing a “side.”

It requires fixing the system itself. Continue reading

Ross: Evil Exists And Is Shielded By Law

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing ~ Falsely attributed to Edmund Burke

The Wrath of God

It truly is amazing what difference a little knowledge, and a great deal of thought, can make upon one’s perceptions, beliefs, and opinions. I can’t remember what grade I was in when this happened, but I do recall having to pick someone from American History to write a short biography about; in essay form. For some reason I chose Andrew Carnegie, the steel magnate who, for a short time, surpassed even J.D. Rockefeller in wealth. Had I known then what I know now I would never have chosen Carnegie to write about; or if I did, I would have been a lot less praising of his achievements. Continue reading